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LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 

GIFT  OF 

Class 


.\^ 


THE 

LADY  OF  MARK 


BY 

SIDNEY  C.  KENDALL 
THE 

Hbbey  press 

PUBLISHERS 

114 

FIFTH    AVENUE 

XonOon  NEW  YORK  /Dbontreal 


Copyriglit,  iQoi, 

by 

THE 

abbeg  iprees 


SRLF 
URL 


3^o^^'K\\^ 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  "  Westward  Ho  !  " 5 

II.  "  What  Manner  of  Man  is  This  ?  " 11 

III.  A  Ho.ME  IN  THE  Wilderness 19 

IV.  The  Settler's  First  Battle 28 

V.  The  Stranger's  Camp 40 

VI.  Helen's  Narrative 53 

VII.  Return  of  the  "  Owl  " 69 

VIII.  The  Earth  is  the  Landlord's  and  the  Ful- 
ness Thereof 80 

IX.  Love's  Dilemma 93 

X.  A  Flight  with  the  "  Owl  " 102 

XI.  "  Through  Fire  and  Flood  " 119 

XII.  "  All's  Well  that  Ends  Well  " 133 

Supplement 172 


THE  LADY  OF  MARK. 


CHAPTER   I. 

"  WESTWARD   HO  !  " 

An  ox-wagon  heavily  laden  with  settler's 
effects  was  lumbering  along  a  rough  bush  road. 
A  sleek  looking  cow  followed  behind,  attached 
by  the  maternal  tie  to  a  calf  in  the  rear  end  of  the 
wagon.  Beside  the  oxen  there  strode,  English- 
like, a  sturdy  Devonshire  farmer.  On  the 
wagon,  with  seats  composed  of  bedding,  were 
three  won. en  and  two  children.  A  young  man 
rode  in  advance  on  a  handsome  mare.  It  was 
the  outfit  of  a  well-equipped  and  desirable 
party  of  emigrants  Avho  may  be  introduced  as 
John  and  Susan  Raleigh,  their  unmarried 
daughter,  Helen,  their  married  son,  Peter,  his 
wife  and  two  children. 

It  is  but  ten  days  since  they  landed  from 
Plymouth.  They  have  furnished  themselves  as 
theirmcans  allowed  ;  they  have  secured  an  allot- 
ment in  the  Free-Grant  Lands  and  now  for 
two  days  they  have  been  toiling  through  the 
Canadian  wilderness  toward  their  new  home. 

5 


6  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

They  needed  the  courage  of  their  English  hearts, 
for  the  outlook  was  cheerless  in  the  extreme. 
"  Roughing  it  in  the  Bush,"  sounds  very 
pleasantly  in  English  magazines,  but  the  re- 
ality struck  them  very  differently.  The  ex- 
pectations they  had  formed  in  the  office  of  the 
Emigration  agent  were  not  yet  realized. 

There,  when  the  country  was  spread  before 
them  in  colored  maps  it  looked  very  smooth 
and  bright.  A  colonization  road  had  been 
opened  by  the  Government  through  attractive- 
looking  townships  whose  post-offices  and  school 
sections  were  carefully  indicated.  As  to  the 
reality  :  The  Government  road  was  this  mis- 
erable trail  that  was  racking  their  wagon  ;  four 
posts,  twelve  miles  apart,  marked  the  bounda- 
ries of  a  township  ;  allotment  lines  were  simply 
marks  on  the  trees ;  as  for  schools  and  post- 
offices,  alas  !  they  were  only  the  shadows  of 
good  things  to  come. 

The  agent  had  assured  them  that  it  was  a 
magnificent  country  and  all  that  it  needed  was  a 
population.  But  the  first  comers  who  settle 
miles  from  neighbors  and  commence  a  life- 
long struggle  with  the  stubborn  bush  find 
that  the  lack  of  a  population  is  a  serious 
matter.  So  our  friends  thought  as  they  toiled 
and  creaked  along  their  rugged  way.  Around 
them  stretched  the  interminable  bush  man- 
tling the  swelling  hills  and  smothering  the 
valleys.  Sometimes  they  were  for  miles  over- 
shadowed with  dense  foliage,  at  other  times 
surrounded  by  dreary  reaches  of  barren   and 


"  Westward  Ho  !  "  7 

blackened  trunks,  indicating  the  ravages  of 
forest  fires.  Occasionally  they  passed  a  clear- 
ing where  a  settler  would  be  seen  hoeing  his 
crop  among  the  tangled  roots,  and  where  the 
poor  cabin  and  the  dismal  array  of  stumps 
formed  a  depressing  picture.  Sometimes  the 
settler  would  come  out  to  greet  them  and 
ply  them  with  questions  as  to  their  destina- 
tion. The  eagerness  with  which  the  hope 
was  expressed  that  they  might  settle  near  was 
pathetic  evidence  of  the  loneliness  of  bush 
life.  The  testimonies  they  received  from 
different  settlers  was  very  conflicting.  Some 
were  desponding  and  hopeless,  others  the  re- 
verse. On  the  whole  the  words  of  the  agent 
were  confirmed  : 

"  The  soil  is  good,  and  as  the  country  fills  up 
you  will  thrive  if  you  work  hard  !  " 

They  approached  a  strip  of  country  appar- 
ently not  fit  for  settlement.  A  rocky  slope 
covered  with  juniper  bushes,  and  stunted  spruce 
rose  before  them.  As  they  paused  to  rest  the 
oxen  before  attempting  the  ascent,  they  ob- 
served a  house  and  clearing  at  a  little  distance. 

A  wretched  looking  woman  was  hastening 
toward  them.  With  rags  and  dirt  the  woman 
looked  miserable,  but  her  appearance  was  not 
that  of  one  born  to  poverty  and  hardship.  Her 
wan  and  wasted  features  bore  traces  of  refine- 
ment that  indicated  a  higher  station  in  life. 
Oh  !  what  a  tale  she  had  to  tell  of  toil,  hard- 
ship and  want,  of  dreary  loneliness,  of  sickness 
unrelieved,  of  the  burial  of  children  among  the 


8  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

stumps  of  their  wretched  clearing.  The  poor 
woman  became  almost  hysterical  as  she 
cried  : 

"  Go  back  !  Go  back  !  You  had  better  have 
gone  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  than  come  to 
this  horrible  place." 

Just  then  her  husband  appeared.     He  gently  { 
checked  her  lamentations  and  remarked  : 

"  It  is  not  many  who  are  so  unfortunate  as 
we  have  been.  We  are  not  adapted  to  this 
kind  of  life.     You  will  do  better." 

There  was  a  quiet  dignity  about  him  which  re- 
vealed the  gentleman.  And  although  he  looked 
worn  with  toil  and  want  there  was  a  steadiness 
about  his  tone  and  a  gleam  in  his  eyes  which 
indicated  that  with  a  fair  chance  he  would 
succeed  yet. 

"  Where  do  you  propose  to  settle  ? "  he 
asked. 

"  We  are  going  to  the  township  of  Mark," 
was  the  reply. 

"  The  township  of  Mark,"  said  the  stranger, 
"  begins  on  the  top  of  that  ridge  and  the  clear- 
ings begin  at  the  foot  of  the  farther  slope.  You 
must  be  near  your  destination." 

"  Our  lot  is  Number  Twenty-Five  in  the 
Second  concession,"  said  Raleigh. 

At  this  the  stranger  started  as  though  sur- 
prised. He  swept  the  company  and  their 
equipment  with  a  quiet,  searching  glance  and 
replied : 

"  If  you  are  able  to  secure  Number  Twenty- 
Five  you  will  commence  with  better  prospects 


"  Westward  Ho  !  "  9 

than  most  of  us.  But  I  shall  be  glad,  for  you 
will  be  within  a  mile  of  us  and  we  are  in  need 
of  neighbors.  The  first  house  you  come  to 
will  be  Dr.  Thompson's,  he  is  your  nearest 
neighbor,  and  I  am  sure  he  will  be  glad  to  wel- 
come you." 

Then  once  more  "  the  oxen  strained  their 
strong  shoulders  to  the  creaking  yoke"  and 
the  wagon  rumbled  forward.  The  young  man 
in  his  impatience  rode  on  and  was  lost  to 
sight. 

There  was  another  incident  too  pretty  to  be 
omitted.  The  younger  of  the  three  women 
had  gathered  a  variety  of  articles  from  their 
stores  and  during  the  conversation  she  had  dis- 
mounted and  poured  them  into  the  lap  of  the 
poor  creature  whose  piteous  tale  had  touched 
her  heart.  But  that  was  not  all.  Pity  is  good, 
help  is  better,  but  sympathy  is  best  of  all. 
She  put  her  strong  young  arms  about  the 
wasted  form  and  with  a  few  kind  and  brave 
words  she  soothed  the  agitated  spirit.  She 
said  the  best  things  that  could  have  been 
said  : 

"  Surely  the  worst  is  over  now.  Every  one 
says  the  country  only  needs  settlers  and  the 
agent's  office  was  crowded  when  we  were  there. 
Others  are  coming  and  it  won't  be  so  lonely 
now." 

Then  with  true  womanly  tact  she  added  : 

"  I  am  glad  we  are  to  have  you  for  a 
neighbor;  it  would  be  dreadful  to  be  alone  in 
thesQ  wpodb.     You  must  come  over  and  sec  us 


10  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

when  we  are  settled.     Remember  we  are  to  be 
friends," 

She  left  the  poor  woman  quietly  weeping  be- 
side the  track  and  pushed  on  after  the  wagon 
which  was  outlined  against  the  sky  on  the 
summit  of  the  hill. 


"What  Manner  of  Man  is  This?"   ii 


CHAPTER  II. 

"  WHAT   MANNER   OF   MAN   IS   THIS  ?  " 

Half  a  mile  from  the  ridge  the  road  passed 
a  clearing  of  about  five  acres,  neatly  fenced, 
although  still  encumbered  with  stumps.  The 
house,  built  of  squared  logs,  was  considerably 
better  than  the  usual  cabin.  There  was  also 
an  outbuilding  and  an  unfinished  barn. 

At  the  farther  end  of  the  clearing  the  sound 
of  an  ax  guides  us  to  a  recess  in  the  bush 
where  two  men  are  squaring  timber.  One  of 
them  is  a  man  of  about  twenty-five,  tall  and 
slight,  but  of  a  lithe  and  sinew}'-  frame.  A 
heavy  black  mustache  and  crisp  black  hair 
adorn  a  somewhat  intellectual  countenance. 
He  wears  the  regulation  costume  of  the  bush, 
brown  duck  pants,  stoga  boots,  coarse  woolen 
shirt  and  big  straw  hat.  A  strap  round  his 
loins  holds  the  sheaths  of  a  dirk  knife  and  a 
hatchet.  He  stands  upon  the  log  and  wields 
the  ax  with  energy  and  skill.  The  other 
man  is  a  negro  and  the  relation  between  them 
is  evidently  that  of  master  and  man,  although 
their  labors  are  equally  divided.  They  seem 
to  be  getting  out  timbers  for  the  completion 
of  the  barn. 


12  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

This  young  man  is  the  Dr.  Thompson  re- 
ferred to  in  the  last  chapter.  The  title  was 
genuine  and  how  an  M.  D.  came  to  be  so  lo- 
cated and  so  employed  must  now  be  explained. 

Richard  Thompson  was  the  son  of  a  well-to- 
do  lumber  merchant.  His  father  gave  him  a 
good  education  and  his  prospects  were  all  that 
a  young  man  could  desire.  His  mother's 
earnest  wish  was  that  he  should  enter  the 
Christian  ministry.  This,  however,  had  been 
overruled  by  his  father  Mdio  gave  him  his 
choice  between  the  professions  of  Law  and 
Medicine.  Richard  chose  the  latter,  probably 
with  the  view  to  pleasing  both  parents,  for  upon 
receiving  his  degree  he  offered  himself  to  the 
church  for  service  in  the  foreiCTn  field.  At  the 
time  of  which  we  write  Medical  Missions  had 
not  attained  to  their  present  prominence  and 
the  church  of  his  choice  was  not  able  to  em- 
ploy him  at  once.  It  was  proposed  to  put  him 
on  the  list  of  reserves.  Against  this  he  ob- 
jected, protesting  that  in  the  Christian  warfare 
there  could  be  no  reserves.  He  was  now  a 
qualified  physician  ;  with  his  ability  and  social 
standinfT  no  doubt  a  comfortable  career  awaited 
him.  But  his  impetuous  spirit  would  not 
content  itself  with  kid  gloves  and  walking-stick 
and  a  genteel  city  practice.  He  wanted  peril, 
adventure  and  sacrifice  ;  and  if  the  foreign 
field  were  denied  him  he  would  seek  a  field  at 
home.  Those  were  the  Free-Grant  days  and 
the  church  was  hard  pushed  to  overtake 
the  multitudes  who  were  thronging  into  the 


"What  Manner  of  Man  is  This?"    13 

bush.  The  need  of  medical  help  was  still 
greater,  for  few  of  the  new  townships  could 
offer  anything  like  a  paying  practice.  Many 
and  piteous  were  the  stories  of  sickness  and 
suffering  remote  from  skilled  attention.  Minis- 
ters to  preach  and  doctors  to  practice  were 
both  wanted,  and  it  occurred  to  Richard 
Thompson  that  the  man  who  could  both  preach 
and  practice  would  find  plenty  of  good  work 
in  the  "  back  settlements."  As  his  practice 
was  not  likely  to  support  him  he  decided  to 
secure  a  grant  of  land  and  occupy  it  as  a  set- 
tler while  he  did  what  he  could  for  the  bodies 
.and  souls  of  his  neighbors.  Strange  as  it  may 
appear  to  some  this  young  man  surrendered 
his  prospects  of  wealth  and  popularity  and 
elected  to  undergo  the  hardships  of  the  bush 
that  he  might  in  some  measure  serve  the  cause 
of  God  and  humanity.  Had  it  been  in  our 
own  time  he  would  have  been  called  a  crank, 
but  that  convenient  word  was  not  then  invent- 
ed, so  his  friends  shrugged  their  shoulders  and 
called  him  a  fool. 

However,  he  bought  a  good  saddle-horse 
and  a  yoke  of  oxen,  loaded  up  a  wagon  with 
settlers*  effects  and  started  for  the  north. 
His  sole  companion  was  Black  Caesar,  who  for 
many  years  had  been  the  cook  of  his  father's 
lumber  camp.  Black  Caesar  vowed  that  he 
would  follow  Doctor  Richard  to  the  end  of 
the  earth. 

Doctor  Thompson's  enterprise  was  not  so 
foolish  as  some  people  thought  it.     City  born 


14  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

and  college  trained,  he  was,  like  most  Canadi- 
ans, a  man  of  action.  The  wild,  free  life  of 
forest,  mountain  and  stream  had  for  him  an 
irresistible  charm.  In  his  father's  camps  he 
had  gained  considerable  experience  of  bush 
life.  Pie  was  at  home  on  horseback,  on  snow- 
shoes,  or  in  the  bark  canoe.  Few  were  more 
expert  with  the  ax,  the  rifle  and  other  imple- 
ments of  forest  craft.  Such  a  man,  with  such 
an  effective  auxiliary  as  Black  Caesar,  needed 
not  to  fear  that  his  undertaking  was  hopeless. 
On  the  whole  the  life  he  chose  with  the  de- 
mands it  made  upon  the  best  resources  of  his 
manhood,  was  far  more  worthy  than  the  soft, 
aimless  existence  that  satisfies  too  many  of 
our  city  men. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  three  years  have  passed 
and  Dr.  Thompson  is  not  yet  discouraged. 
Three  years  of  hard  work  and  many  disap- 
pointments. Settlement  had  proceeded  very 
slowly,  but  by  this  time  his  services  were  in 
demand  by  all  who  were  sick  and  miserable 
for  twenty  miles  around,  so  that  his  practice 
had  grown  if  his  income  had  not.  Such  was 
the  destitution  of  the  new  settlers  that  most 
of  his  services  had  to  be  given  freely.  It  was 
seldom  he  received  a  fee  in  cash,  but  many  of 
his  patients  repaid  his  services  with  labor. 
Thus  he  had  got  a  good  house  built  and  several 
acres  under  cultivation.  It  had  come  to  be 
understood  at  last  that  he  had  sacrificed  better 
prospects  to  share  the  hard  lot  of  the  pioneers, 
so  that  when  on  the  Sabbath  day  he  called  the 


"What  Manner  of  Man  is  This?"   15 

people  together  to  worship  God  his  words  had 
weight  as  coming  from  one  whose  life  illus- 
trated his  preaching.  Black  Caesar  kept  the 
house,  hunted,  fished  and  pushed  on  the  work 
of  the  farm.  In  fact  the  negro's  trapping 
yielded  more  financial  results  than  the  Doctor's 
practise. 

We  found  Dr.  Thompson  and  Black  Caesar 
getting  out  timbers  for  a  new  barn. 

"  Doctor  Richard,"  said  Caesar,  "  Dars  a  man 
comin'  up  dar  in  de  camp." 

The  Doctor  peered  through  the  trees  and 
remarked : 

"  And  there's  a  wagon  coming  down  the 
ridge.  Here  are  more  settlers,  Caesar.  We 
must  go  and  meet  them." 

Coming  to  the  house  they  found  at  the  bars 
a  young  man  whose  fresh  complexion  and 
corduroys  marked  him  as  a  newcomer. 

"Is  this  Dr.  Thompson's  place  ?"  he  in- 
quired. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply.  "  Have  you  come  to 
stay?  Are  you  looking  for  land?  Do  you 
think  of  settling  about  here?  " 

All  these  questions  were  answered  with  one 
word  and  the  young  man  continued  : 

"  My  name  is  Raleigh.  My  folks  are  on 
behind.  Our  lot  is  somewhere  about  here.  Is 
there  any  place  where  we  can  stay  to-night  ?  " 

"  You  can  stay  here,"  said  the  Doctor. 
"  Caisar,  take  the  horse.  Come  in,  Mr.  Raleigh, 
you  are  welcome." 

He  led  the  way  into  the  house  which  was 


1 6'  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

better  furnished  than  most  houses  in  the  bush, 
and  contained  a  medical  Hbrary  and  other  in- 
dications of  its  owner's  craft. 

A  few  minutes  of  eager  conversation  fol- 
lowed, and  the  Doctor  inquired  if  the  new 
settlers  had  selected  their  location. 

"  We  have  been  assigned  to  Number  Twenty- 
Five,"  said  Raleigh. 

"  No  ?  "  said  the  Doctor  in  a  tone  of  surprise, 
wheeling  round  in  his  chair.  "  Are  you  sure 
of  that?" 

"  I  believe  that  is  the  right  number,"  said 
Raleigh. 

"  Then  have  you  not  some  communication 
for  me  ? "  inquired  the  Doctor,  eyeing  him 
sharply. 

"  Why,  yes,"  said  the  young  man,  fumbling 
in  his  pocket  with  some  confusion.  "The 
agent  gave  me  a  letter  for  you,  but  I  declare  I 
had  forgotten  it." 

The  Doctor  opened  the  envelope  and  read 
as  follows  : 

"  My  dear  old  Doc. — At  last  I  can  sat- 
isfy you.  I  am  sending  you  some  settlers  whom 
you  will  be  pleased  with.  You  can  locate 
them  on  your  precious  Number  Twenty-Five 
without  any  fear  that  your  neighborhood  will 
suffer  either  morally  or  socially.  Certainly 
not  socially.  By  the  way,  my  dear  boy,  from 
what  I  have  seen  of  one  member  of  the  party 
I  would  not  object  to  have  them  as  neighbors 
myself.     If  this  increase  to  the  population  of 


"  What  Manner  of  Man  is  This  ? "  17 

Mark  will  make  your  life  more  endurable  put 
it  down  to  the  credit  of 

"  Yours  devotedly, 

"  Henry  Grame." 

After  reading  this  letter  over  twice  in  silence 
the  Doctor  took  another  scrutinizing  glance 
at  his  guest.  The  opinion  that  he  formed  was 
not  expressed,  for  just  then  the  creaking  and 
groaning  of  the  wagon  was  heard  without. 
They  both  moved  to  the  door.  The  elder 
Raleigh  stood  by  his  oxen  surveying  his  sur- 
roundings with  an  air  of  anxious  calculation. 
The  women  looked  straight  at  the  Doctor 
with  a  look  of  eager,  wistful  inquiry  natural 
to  those  who  have  been  traveling  for  weeks 
toward  the  unknown  and  have  at  last  reached 
their  destination.  Dr.  Thompson  understood 
that  glance  and  it  went  to  his  heart.  He 
knew  that  they  stood  in  sore  need  of  encour- 
agement. So  he  stepped  forward  and  greeted 
them  cordially  : 

"  You  are  welcome,  Air.  Raleigh,  a  thousand 
times  welcome !  " 

As  the  men  grasped  hands  their  eyes  met. 
Something  more  than  a  greeting  passed  be- 
tween them.  When  a  man  has  been  quickened 
by  the  Spirit  of  God  his  exalted  soul  recog- 
nizes another  similarly  endowed.  The  men 
understood  each  other  and  another  hand-pres- 
sure followed. 

Dr.  Thompson  then  stepped  toward  the 
wagon  and  said  in    his  kindest  tone: 


i8  The  Lady  of  Mark. 


(( 


You  are  welcome,  ladies.  Women  are 
badly  wanted  here.  You  will  be  quite  an  ac- 
quisition I  assure  you." 

He  helped  them  to  alight  and  then  in- 
quired : 

"  Is  this  the  whole  of  your  party,  Mr. 
Raleigh  ?  " 

"  Why,  no,"  said  Raleigh,  in  some  surprise. 
*'  Mother,  where  is  Helen  ?  " 

"She got  out  at  that  last  house  and  walked 
over  the  hill.     Here  she  is." 

As  the  Doctor  advanced  to  meet  the  young 
woman  he  thought  suddenly  of  a  certain  ob- 
scure passage  in  the  letter  he  had  just  read. 
His  manner  changed  all  at  once  from  effusive 
and  almost  boisterous  cordiality  to  quiet 
courtesy.    The  chief  thought  in  his  mind  was  : 

"  What  a  creature  to  be  buried  here  in  the 
woods ! " 

The  corresponding  thought  in  her  mind 
was : 

"  Whatever  can  have  induced  such  a  man 
to  adopt  such  a  life!" 

"  Now,"  said  the  Doctor,  when  greetings 
were  over,  "  you  must  make  use  of  my  house 
until  you  have  had  time  to  look  about." 

The  ladies  were  shown  into  the  house  and 
the  men  busied  themselves  in  caring  for  the 
animals. 


A  Home  in  the  Wilderness.        19 


CHAPTER  III. 

A  HOME  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

Dr.  Thompson's  house  had  frequently  been 
filled  with  company  as  he  had  entertained  all 
newcomers  until  they  could  look  up  their  al- 
lotments. Black  Caesar  was  in  his  glory  that 
evening.  His  doughnuts  and  pancakes  were 
at  their  best ;  to  crown  all  he  dished  up  an 
enormous  omelet.  To  the  Raleighs,  fresh 
from  the  green  fields  of  Devon,  everything 
was  novel.  The  children  ran  in  and  out,  and 
within  an  hour  they  had  explored  every  inch  of 
the  clearing  and  taken  a  census  of  all  the  live 
stock.  Their  excited  report  included  the  state- 
ment that  Dr.  Thompson  was  a  brick.  A  black 
man  was  to  them  a  phenomenon  only  heard 
of  in  fairy  talcs  and  Black  Caesar  was  regarded 
with  great  solemnity. 

The  evening  was  filled  with  eager  conver- 
sation. News  came  slowly  to  that  retreat  and 
an  active  mind  was  hungry  for  information. 
The  Raleighs  also  were  full  of  inquiries  con- 
cerning the  prospects  of  bush  life.  It  was 
gratifying  to  learn  that  their  land  adjoined  the 
Doctor's. 

"Mr.  Raleigh,"  said  Dr.  Thompson,  "would 


5o  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

you  mind  telling  me  upon  what  terms  you 
obtained  that  lot  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  aware  that  there  was  any  differ- 
ence," replied  Raleigh ;  "  I  paid  simply  the 
usual  fees." 

"  Then  you  received  it  as  an  ordinary  Free- 
Grant  lot.  I  am  glad  of  that.  Now  my  ad- 
vice is  that  you  never  mention  to  any  one  what 
that  land  cost  you.  There  are  reasons  for 
this    which   you    will    understand  to-morrow." 

The  house  was  well  furnished  with  bunks 
and  beds,  so  there  was  no  difficulty  about 
entertaining  the  party  at  night. 

"  I  say,  Dad,"  whispered  the  younger 
Raleigh  as  they  turned  in,  "  what  do  you  sup- 
pose is  the  matter  with  that  there  Number 
Twenty-Five  ?  " 

"  I  can't  imagine,"  was  the  reply.  "  There 
seems  to  be  some  mystery  about  it,  but  we 
will  know  to-morrow." 

The  next  morning  all  were  stirring  at  day- 
light. It  was  a  beautiful  morning.  The  mists 
of  night  were  rapidly  dissolving  beneath  the 
warm  bright  rays.  The  trees  were  bursting 
into  leaf  and  the  earth  bore  the  pale,  green 
tinge  of  early  spring.  The  Raleighs  were  im- 
patient to  explore  their  location. 

The  two  men  proposed  to  set  out  alone,  but 
they  were  overruled    by  the  Doctor. 

"  I  propose,"  said  he,  "  to  take  over  the  entire 
company.  There  is  a  good  path  and  I  am  sure 
the  ladies  will  enjoy  the  walk." 

They  went  through  the  pasture  where  the 


A  Home  in  the  Wilderness.        21 

Doctor's  cows  were  grazing  ;  past  the  hollowed 
log  that  held  the  water  that  was  brought  in 
spouts  from  a  passing  stream  ;  across  a  field 
where  Caesar  was  hoeing  in  potatoes  and  corn  ; 
then  over  a  log  fence  and  into  a  narrow  path 
through  the  bush.  Here  they  walked  single 
file,  the  two  Raleighs  leading  with  axes  on 
their  shoulders  and  the  Doctor  bringing  up  the 
rear. 

"  Doctor  Thompson,"  said  the  elder  Mrs. 
Raleigh,  in  her  broad  Devonshire  dialect, 
"what  have  us  done  to  deserve  that  the  Lord 
should  raise  us  up  such  a  good  friend  in  this 
wilderness?  " 

"  On  the  other  hand,  Mrs.  Raleigh,"  replied 
the  Doctor,  "  I  might  thank  the  Lord  for  send- 
ing me  such  good  company.  I  have  been 
dreading  lest  the  lot  adjoining  mine  should 
fall  to  uncongenial  neighbors." 

They  came  to  a  stream  which  they  crossed 
on  a  log. 

"This  stream,"  said  the  Doctor,  "is  the 
overflow  of  a  spring  in  the  ridge.  It  flows 
through  your  land  and  mine  and  gives  us  an 
unfailing  supply  of  good  water." 

Soon  after  crossing  the  stream  he  called  their 
attention  to  some  marks  on  the  trees. 

"These,"  said  he,  "mark  the  boundary  be- 
tween your  lot  and  mine.  Mr.  Raleigh,  you 
are  now  on  your  own  land." 

The  information  was  more  important  than 
he  thought.  lie  did  not  know  what  owner- 
ship of  land  meant  to  an  Englishman  who  has 


22  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

been  all  his  life  tilling  the  land  of  another. 
Mr.  Raleigh  started.  He  looked  at  the  earth, 
the  trees  and  the  sky.  Then  he  took  his  wife 
by  the  hand  and  led  her  a  few  paces  forward. 
He  pointed  to  the  soil  and  his  voice  expressed 
emotion. 

"  Mother,"  said  he,  "  this  is  our  own  land.  At 
last  we  have  a  bit  of  God's  earth  for  our  own 
and  no  landlord  to  drive  us  off." 

"  Party  good  soil  too,  'pariently,"  said  the 
practical  Peter,  kicking  up  a  layer  of  leaves. 
He  then  gave  a  jerk  to  his  belt  and  spat  on  his 
hands,  exclaiming: 

"  Well,  Dad,  where  are  you  going  to  build  ?  " 

"  Hold  on,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  let  us  look 
around  a  little.     Follow  on  the  path,  please." 

In  a  few  minutes  they  came  to  an  opening 
and  found,  to  their  surprise,  about  ten  acres 
of  land  well  cleared  and  fenced.  A  still  further 
surprise  awaited  them  when  as  they  emerged 
from  the  forest  and  found  at  the  north  end  of 
the  clearing  a  house  and  barn.  It  was  not 
the  original  cabin  type,  but  a  house  well  built 
of  squared  logs  with  a  pitched  roof  and  a 
cellar. 

"  Wh6se  property  is  this  ?  "  inquired  Raleigh. 

"  This  is  your  house,"  replied  the  Doctor. 

"There  must  be  some  mistake,  there  was 
no  mention  of  a  house  on  my  papers." 

"  Certainly  not ;  but  you  are  the  owner  of 
this  land  and  all  upon  it.  Now  listen  ;  it  is 
quite  a  story  and  I  have  been  saving  it  till 
now." 


A  Home  in  the  Wilderness.        23 

The  company  gathered  around  with  looks  of 
interest,  while  the  Doctor  related  the  following 
story : 

"  When  I  came  here  three  years  ago,  the 
only  neighbor  I  had  for  several  miles  was  the 
occupant  of  this  house.  He  was  an  eccentric 
individual,  evidently  a  man  of  means  and  ed- 
ucation. He  came  here  directly  from  England, 
bringing  with  him  a  serving  man  from  his  old 
home,  who,  until  he  died,  was  his  sole  com- 
panion. He  appeared  to  me  to  be  a  man  whose 
life  was  clouded  and  who  had  been  driven  by 
disappointment  or  sorrow  to  bury  himself  from 
the  world.  Here  I  found  him,  and  naturally, 
we  became  friends.  He  never  confided  to  me 
the  secret  of  his  life ;  though  I  knew  that  a 
great  sorrow  was  gnawing  at  his  heart.  In 
fact,  I  believe  it  was  that  which  wore  away  his 
life.  He  died  in  my  presence.  What  prop- 
erty he  had  in  the  old  country  and  how  it  was 
disposed  of  I  never  knew.  Some  interested 
parties  there  applied  to  me  to  certify  to  his 
death,  and  by  that  means  I  learned  that  he 
was  highly  connected.  He  made  me  sole  heir 
of  all  the  property  he  had  about  him.  The 
movable  property  I  took  to  my  house  except 
such  furniture  as  I  do  not  need,  which  still 
remains  here.  The  house  and  land  I  also 
regarded  as  mine.  But  judge  of  my  surprise 
when  I  applied  to  be  put  in  possession,  I  found 
that  my  deceased  friend  had  never  legally  pos- 
sessed himself  of  this  property.  He  had  occu- 
pied it  previous  to   the  survey,  so  that  he  held 


24  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

it  only  by  a  squatter's  claim,  which  is  not 
transferable.  So  it  happened  that  Number 
Twenty-Five  Avas  still  on  the  agent's  books  as 
a  vacant  Free-Grant  lot  which  might  be  turned 
over  to  the  first  eligible  applicant  without 
mention  of  its  improven:icnts. 

"  Now  the  agent  is  an  old  schoolfellow  and 
a  warm  personal  friend  of  mine.  He  agreed 
to  keep  my  secret.  Seeing  that  the  property 
had  been  given  to  me,  he  considered,  that, 
although  I  could  not  legally  own  it,  I  was  at 
least  entitled  to  a  voice  in  its  disposal.  So  he 
promised  that  he  would  assign  this  lot  to  no 
settlers,  but  such  as  would  be  acceptable  to 
me.  Now  I  desire  above  all  things,  to  build 
up  the  moral  and  spiritual  character  of  this 
community,  and  because  I  believe  you  will 
help  me  in  this  work  I  gladly  consent  to  your 
becoming  the  owners  of  this  property.  And 
may  God  bless  you.  From  my  heart  I  con- 
gratulate you.  Bush  life  is  a  very  different 
thing  when  you  have  a  good  house  and  ten 
acres  of  cleared  land." 

The  countenances  of  the  Doctor's  hearers 
during  the  delivery  of  this  address  were  a  study. 
The  old  lady  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  Oh  !  John,  John,"  she  said,  as  the  tears 
gathered  in  her  eyes,  "where  was  our  faith? 
Isn't  it  better  than  our  prayers?  Shall  a  man 
serve  God  for  naught  ?  " 

"Well,  mother,"  said  Raleigh,"!  did  not 
serve  God  for  any  such  pay  as  this ;  I  was  pre- 
pared for  the  worst  and  ready  to  serve  God 


A  Home  in  the  Wilderness.       25 

still.  But  I  feel  fairly  confounded  and  don't 
know  what  to  make  of  it." 

"  Now  come  inside,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  and 
see  what  you  think  of  your  new  home." 

The  house  proved  to  be  well  built,  com- 
fortable and  spacious.  It  contained  several 
articles  of  furniture,  including  a  large  cook 
stove. 

"These  belong  to  me,"  said  Dr.  Thompson  ; 
"  but  as  I  have  no  room  for  them,  you  must 
allow  me  to  leave  them  here  until  I  need  them," 

Below  was  a  good  cellar,  dry,  airy  and  frost- 
proof, where,  to  their  surprise,  they  found  a  sup- 
ply of  roots.  The  Doctor  explained  that  in 
preparation  for  neighbors  he  had  cultivated  a 
field  so  that  they  might  have  something  to  go 
on  with  until  their  own  crops  were  ready  for 
use.  There  was  a  small  extension  to  the  house 
through  which  a  rill  flowed,  being  conveyed 
from  the  stream  by  spouts.  The  younger 
women  with  their  Devonshire  instincts  at  once 
pre-empted  this  apartment  for  their  dairy. 

"  And  now,"  exclaimed  the  delighted  Helen, 
"all  we  want  is  cows." 

"  And  a  market,"  said  the  Doctor.  "  But 
that  is  coming,  for  the  country  is  filling  up 
fast." 

Next  they  explored  the  barn.  Here  above 
the  stable  they  found  about  two  tons  of  hay. 

*'  You  see,"  explained  the  Doctor,  "  in  this 
new  settlement  we  use  wild  hay  and  we  are 
fortunate  to  have  it  in  abundance.  There  are 
a  number  of   what   are  called  beaver  meadows 


26  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

within  easy  reach,  and  from  them  we  draw  our 
supply.  Last  fall  while  stocking  my  own  barn, 
I  bethought  me  of  putting  two  loads  in  here. 
As  it  will  be  some  time  before  your  cattle  can 
graze,  you  will  find  it  acceptable." 

"Dr.  Thompson,"  said  Helen,  "you  have 
laid  us  under  a  world  of  obligation.  I  don't 
know  how  we  can  ever  thank  you.  How  much 
brighter  our  prospects  are  to-day.  I  feel  as 
light-hearted  as  a  child." 

Her  thanks  were  very  pleasing  to  the  Doctor 
and  he  replied  with  feeling  :  "  I  am  glad,  Miss 
Raleigli,  that  what  I  have  done  has  been  for 
so  good  a  purpose.  I  have  looked  forward 
to  the  coming  of  my  new  neighbors  with  great 
curiosity.  And  I  assure  you  that  I  am 
abundantly  satisfied.  But  now  I  must  warn 
you  all  that  you  have  a  great  struggle  before 
you  even  now.  Your  undertaking  is  a  great 
one,  and  most  of  those  who  fail  do  so  through 
ignorance  or  incapacity.  I  don't  mind  telling 
you  that  an  occasional  suggestion  from  some 
one  accustomed  to  the  bush  will  be  worth 
more  to  you  than  gold.  It  is  in  that  way  that 
I  shall  be  able  to  serve  you. 

"  Now,  Mr.  Raleigh,  let  us  plan  your  next 
week's  work.  Here  are  nine  or  ten  acres  of 
land,  cleared,  barring  the  stumps.  Some  of  it 
is  sufficiently  open  to  be  worked  with  the  plow. 
There  you  must  sow  your  grain  and  peas.  The 
rest  is  too  full  of  stumps.  There  you  will  have 
to  hoe  in  corn  and  roots.  It  is  time  this  were 
done.     But  you  have  a  chance  of  a  crop  if  the 


A  Home  in  the  Wilderness.        27 

seed  is  got  in  without  delay.  Now  listen  to 
my  proposal.  There  are  a  number  of  men  who 
are  going  to  settle  their  account  with  me  by 
labor.  I  have  engaged  with  half  a  dozen  to 
work  for  me  the  day  after  to-morrow.  I  had 
intended  to  employ  them  upon  my  barn,  but 
that  can  wait  better  than  your  sowing  can. 
So  I  propose  to  bring  those  men  over  here  and 
with  a  vigorous  day's  work  altogether,  with 
several  yoke  of  oxen,  we  can  get  it  done.  And 
when  your  seed  is  in  you  can  take  things  more 
leisurely." 

"  But  how  are  we  going  to  pay  you  for  all 
this.  Dr.  Thompson?" 

*'  Easily  enough.  About  the  only  currency 
in  this  region  is  elbow-grease.  Pay  me  with 
your  own  labor  some  time  when  your  own 
affairs  are  not  pressing." 

Such  a  practical  example  of  bearing  one 
another's  burdens  was  gratifying  to  all. 


28  The  Lady  of  Mark. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  settler's   FIRST  BATTLE. 

Unloading  their  goods  and  setting  their 
house  in  order  occupied  the  first  day.  How 
the  children  yelled  and  gamboled  with  delight 
at  the  prospect  of  living  in  the  forest  !  With 
what  thankful  hearts  the  elders  worked ! 
Helen  and  Grace  took  possession  of  the  but- 
tery, cleaned  out  the  spouts  and  set  up  the 
churn  as  though  they  meant  business.  The 
calf  was  summarily  weaned  and  the  cow,  fed 
on  turnips,  was  milked  to  the  utmost  of  her 
capacity.  What  a  commotion  there  was  the 
next  day  when  Dr.  Thompson  arrived  with  six 
men,  two  yoke  of  oxen,  plows,  log-chains,  hoes, 
axes  and  all  appliances  for  a  big  wrestle  with 
the  stumps.  Caesar  was  installed  at  the  stove. 
The  women  undertook  to  make  a  kitchen 
garden  around  the  house.  The  children  ac- 
companied the  men  to  the  field  and  took  a 
lively  interest  in  the  proceedings. 

"The  rich  red  soil  rolled  in  fat  waves  from 
the  gliding  share."  Such  a  description  scarcely 
applies  to  a  bush  farm  in  its  earlier  stages. 
The  antics  that  a  plow  could  play  among  Cana- 
dian stumps  was  a  revelation  to  those  Devon- 


The  Settler's  First  Battle.  29 

shire  farmers.  They  stirred  it  up  somehow, 
and  with  a  little  trimming  from  the  hoe  it  was 
ready  for  the  seed.  Oats,  rye,  buckwheat  and 
peas  were  sown.  There  were  some  fields  where 
the  plow  could  not  be  used.  Here  they  united 
their  yokes,  attached  a  log  chain  to  the  smaller 
stumps  and  hauled  them  out  by  six-ox  power. 
Corn,  potatoes  and  turnips  were  put  in  with 
the  hoe.  Around  the  house  a  considerable 
space  was  planted  with  light  garden  stuff,  and 
by  sundown  the  whole  was  in,  in  a  rough  kind 
of  fashion. 

Under  the  stimulus  of  owning  the  land  and 
striking  every  blow  for  themselves  the  Raleighs 
worked  like  heroes.  They  secured  a  further 
loan  of  Black  Caesar  and  worked  under  his 
direction  for  a  few  days,  as  the  use  of  the  ax 
in  true  bush  fashion  is  an  art  that  is  only  ac- 
quired in  the  backwoods.  They  learned  how 
to  fell  the  trees  without  a  superfluous  blow  ; 
how  to  determine  where  they  should  fall  and 
to  lay  them  in  their  order  on  the  ground  ;  how 
to  cut  them  into  movable  proportions  and 
roll  them  into  piles  for  burning.  Many  a  labor- 
saving  device  Black  Caesar  taught  them,  for 
truly  the  backwoodsman  works  with  his  head 
as  well  as  with  his  hands.  After  several  days 
chopping  by  the  men,  the  women  and  children 
worked  gathering  limbs  and  piling  brush. 
Then  came  the  time  for  burning  up,  where- 
at the  children  were  delighted  beyond  meas- 
ure. 

So  the  busy  weeks  wore  on.     As  the  virgin 


30  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

soil  is  pure  they  were  little  troubled  with  weeds 
and  their  crops  gave  promise  of  abundance. 

They  saw  little  of  their  neighbors  except  on' 
Sunday  when  they  met  at  different  houses  for 
worship.  Then  they  met  about  fifty  people 
gathered  from  far  and  near.  Most  of  them 
appeared  to  be  dull  and  depressed  as  though 
the  toil  and  want  of  bush  life  were  crushing 
their  spirits.  This  hour  of  devotion  appeared 
to  be  almost  the  only  thing  that  tended  to  lift 
their  minds  above  the  dreary  routine  of  their 
lonely  lives.  To  Dr.  Thompson,  in  his  efforts 
to  lift  up  the  people  morally  and  intellectually, 
the  coming  of  the  Raleighs  brought  a  great 
reinforcement  of  hopefulness  and  courage. 
Mr.  Raleigh  was  a  very  acceptable  preacher, 
and  they  alternately  led  the  meetings.  The 
younger  Raleighs  were  all  singers  and  of  great 
assistance  in  the  services.  So  Dr.  Thompson 
had  reason  to  think  that  Number  Twenty- 
Five  had  been  well  bestowed.  The  path  to 
the  Doctor's  house  was  well  trodden  that 
summer.  The  children  soon  learned  the  way, 
much  to  the  terror  of  their  grandmother,  who 
imagined  that  all  sorts  of  "  beastes  "  were  prowl- 
ing about  the  forest.  Occasionally  the  Doctor 
would  come  over  in  the  evening.  He  gen- 
erally found  them  following  the  good  old 
English  custom  of  resting  through  the  twilight. 
They  would  always  quit  work  at  sundown,  and 
then  after  supper  they  would  light  a  smudge 
for  the  mosquitoes  and  sit  for  an  hour  in  the 
open  air. 


The  Settler's  First  Battle.  31 

Those  first  evenings  in  the  strange  new 
land  were  full  of  interest.  Everything  was  so 
strange  to  them.  The  interminable  forest  that 
mantled  the  hills,  notched  here  and  there  by 
clearings;  the  murmur  of  a  distant  cataract, 
the  strange  noises  of  the  frogs  in  the  swamp, 
the  weird  cry  of  the  whippoorwill,  the  flutter- 
ing of  the  night-hawk,  and  the  hoot  of  the  owl, 
were  all  suggestions  of  a  new  country.  So 
they  sat  and  talked  of  the  dear  old  land  and 
sometimes  recalled  memories  that  started 
tears.  On  those  evenings  Dr.  Thompson  was 
always  welcome.  He  seemed  to  take  a  great 
interest  in  his  new  neighbors  and  he  came 
nearly  every  evening  when  not  away  on  busi- 
ness. As  a  native  Canadian  and  a  student  of 
human  nature  these  newly  imported  characters 
were  valuable  to  him.  He  was  impressed  with 
the  intelligent  philosophy  of  Mr.  Raleigh,  the 
motherly  common-sense  of  Mrs.  Raleigh,  the 
practical  bluntness  of  Peter,  the  genial  hospi- 
tality of  Grace,  and — but  how  Avas  he  im- 
pressed with  the  remaining  member  of  the 
family  ? 

Helen  Raleigh  would  impress  most  men  at 
first  meeting  as  being  a  very  superior  person. 
She  was  above  medium  height,  of  well  devel- 
oped, robust  physique,  with  a  pure  English 
complexion  and  a  wealth  of  auburn  hair. 
Winsomeness  is  a  characteristic  of  Devonshire 
maidens;  and  in  addition  to  this  there  was  a 
quiet  dignity  about  Miss  Raleigh  that  gave 
her  a  commanding   influence.     It  could  soon 


32  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

be  seen  that  in  some  respects  she  was  superior 
to  her  position.  Dr.  Thompson  was  not  indif- 
ferent to  the  power  of  her  presence.  They 
were  on  good,  friendly  terms,  but  not  intimate. 
While  Miss  Raleigh's  person  and  character 
were  attractive  in  the  highest  degree,  there  was 
a  reserve  in  her  bearing  that  did  not  encourage 
advances.  The  young  man  who  had  spent 
three  years  in  the  bush  thought  he  saw  all  the 
excellencies  of  womanhood  in  Miss  Raleigh, 
and  there  was  more  of  reverence  than  love  in 
the  sentiment  with  which  he  regarded  her. 

They  were  often  together,  there  was  so  much 
in  this  wild  forest  life  that  Miss  Raleigh 
wanted  to  know.  There  was  a  creek  that 
flowed  past  the  bottom  of  their  land  and 
emptied  into  the  lake  about  a  mile  below ; 
here  the  Doctor  kept  his  bark  canoe  and  row- 
boat.  Thither  they  frequently  made  their 
way.  She  was  already  an  expert  rower,  but 
the  bark  canoe  was  a  novelty.  In  a  little 
while  she  was  as  expert  with  the  paddle  as 
with  the  oars.  He  taught  her  the  arts  of 
fishing,  the  use  of  the  rifle  and  shotgun  and 
many  other  items  of  forest  craft. 

One  evening  they  came  up  from  the  river 
after  sundown,  when  only  the  moonbeams 
lighted  up  the  silent  forest  aisles.  It  was  one 
of  those  delicious  midsummer  nights  when 
the  silvery  moonlight,  the  hovering  shadows, 
and  soft  breezes  produce  those  effects  that  are 
among  the  sweetest  memories  of  youth  and 
love  time.     Miss  Raleigh  was  in  one  of  those 


The  Settler's  First  Battle.  33 

moods  he  had  sometines  observed  when  the 
rising  memories  of  the  past  seemed  to  have  a 
saddening  effect.  As  they  crossed  a  moon- 
lighted, fern-clad  glade  where  a  shaft  of  moon- 
light brought  every  leaf  into  view  she  ex- 
claimed impulsively  : 

"  Oh !  Dr.  Thompson,  why  is  it  that  moon- 
light stirs  the  memory  so?" 

The  Doctor  had  to  admit  that  he  did  not 
know. 

"  And  why  is  it  that  moonlight  memories  are 
always  troublesome  ones?" 

"  Perhaps  you  are  homesick  for  dear  old 
England,"  he  replied  gently.  "  This  lonely 
bush  life  is  hardly  the  thing  for  you.  Do  you 
know  I  sometimes  doubt  if  it  is  right  for  one 
like  you  to  be  buried  in  this  manner," 

"  Indeed,  Dr.  Thompson,  I  might  say  the 
same  of  you.  Who  would  have  thought  of 
meeting  a  man  like  you  in  a  country  like  this. 
I  wonder  at  your  giving  yourself  up  to  such  a 
life." 

The  Doctor  was  embarrassed  and  muttered 
something  about  spending  his  life  where  it 
was  most  needed. 

"  Perhaps  I  may  have  the  same  reason  for 
bestowing  my  talents  in  this  manner,"  she 
replied. 

They  came  to  the  edge  of  tlie  bush,  and 
before  them  lay  the  clearing  and  the  house 
bathed  in  brilliant  moonlight  slightly  veiled 
by  the  m-'sts  that  were  rising.  As  they 
stood  looking    out    upon    the    peaceful  scene 

3 


34  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

Miss  Raleigh  remarked  as  though  thinking 
aloud  : 

"  These  days  of  hard  work  are  the  happiest 
I  have  known  for  many  years." 

The  Doctor  had  often  observed  that  with  all 
her  evident  superiority  she  was  not  too  dainty 
to  work  with  her  brother  and  father  in  the 
fields,  engaging  in  tasks  more  suited  to  a  man. 
She  sometimes  toiled  with  an  energy  that  was 
almost  fierce.  Her  character  seemed  to  be 
made  up  of  contradictions.  She  could  dis- 
pense with  equal  skill  the  honors  of  a  court 
or  the  pinched  economy  of  a  peasant's  hut. 
Sometimes  she  was  overflowing  with  gaiety. 
At  other  times  when  the  Doctor  arrived  she 
would  be  missing  from  the  circle,  and  there 
was  something  in  the  silence  and  depression  of 
the  others  which  told  him  that  he  had  better 
not  inquire  after  her. 

Old  Mrs.  Raleigh  never  got  over  her  dread 
of  wild  beasts,  snakes  and  other  discreditable 
cattle  with  which  she  surmised  the  woods 
were  infested.  The  great  burden  of  her  life 
was  the  risk  that  was  run  by  any  member  of 
the  family  who  had  occasion  to  enter  the 
forest.  Personally  she  never  ventured  half 
her  length  from  the  clearing  without  arm- 
ing herself  with  a  bludgeon  which,  in  her 
lusty  arms,  would  have  broken  the  back  of  a 
horse.  If  anv  of  the  children  were  out  of 
sight  for  any  length  of  time  she  was  over- 
whelmed with  anxiety. 

Events  were  about  to   prove   that   the  old 


The  Settler's  First  Battle.  35 

lady's  fears  were  not  unfounded,  and  that  there 
was  some  possibility  of  meeting  with  undesir- 
able company.  We  read  of  One  who  visits 
divers  portions  of  the  earth  in  various  disguises. 
He  commenced  his  enterprise  in  this  world  in 
the  form  of  a  serpent  and  got  the  whole  reptile 
kingdom  into  bad  odor.  Since  then  he  has 
gone  about  a  great  deal  as  a  roaring  lion. 
Tradition  has  painted  him  with  hoofs  and 
horns.  When  it  serves  his  purpose  he  can 
appear  as  an  angel  of  light.  At  the  very  time 
when  Mrs.  Raleigh  was  warning  all  about  her 
of  the  perils  of  the  woods,  those  very  woods 
were  being  traversed  by  the  individual  above- 
mentioned  in  his  modern  and  most  successful 
disguise. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  August.  The 
Raleighs  had  made  the  pleasant  discovery  that 
the  woods  abounded  with  several  kinds  of  wild 
fruit.  There  was  a  burnt  district  about  two 
miles  away  where  raspberries  were  abundant. 
Parties  of  women  were  made  up  to  visit  this 
locality.  Helen  Raleigh  had  joined  one  of 
these  parties  and  was  on  her  way  home  in 
the  evening  with  a  pail  of  berries.  She  had 
parted  with  the  last  of  her  companions  and 
was  proceeding  alone  along  the  Doctor's  path. 
As  she  reached  the  brook  she  sat  down  to 
rest.  In  the  silence  she  suddenly  heard  the 
snapping  of  twigs  under  an  advancing  foot- 
step. Whoever  or  whatever  was  coming  was 
approaching  through  the  woods  and  not  along 
the  path.     In  a  few  seconds  a  man   sprang  out 


36  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

of  the  bush  and  stood  before  her.  He  was  a 
man  in  the  prime  of  life  with  close-cut,  iron- 
gray  hair  and  a  heavy,  gray  mustache.  He 
wore  a  sporting  suit  of  gray  tweed  and  car- 
ried a  double-barreled  rifle. 

Miss  Raleigh  displayed  no  outward  signs 
of  surprise  at  this  appearance,  but  if  we  could 
by  any  means  enter  into  her  feelings  we  would 
find  that  her  heart  had  almost  stopped  beat- 
ing. The  shock  had  made  her  senses  reel  and 
a  thrill  of  horror  had  paralyzed  every  limb. 
The  stranger  started  at  the  sight  of  the  young 
woman  and  the  two  remained  motionless  re- 
garding each  other.  Miss  Raleigh  then  mur- 
mured in  a  tone  of  reproachful  pleading : 

"  Sir  Edward  !  " 

Her  face  was  pale  and  composed,  but  there 
was  something  in  the  set  expression  and  the 
quick  darting  glance  of  the  eye  that  betokened 
an   unutterable  agony  of  soul. 

"  Miss  Raleigh,"  said  the  stranger,  in  tones 
that  were  broken  with  emotion,  "this  is  a 
most  unaccountable  event.  It  is  impossible 
for  me  to  express  the  surprise  I  feel." 

"  Were  you  looking  for  me  ?  " 

"  Why  should  1  expect  to  find  you  here  or 
in  Patagonia  ?  You  took  care  that  I  should 
have  no  knowledge  of  your  whereabouts." 

"  Well,  you  said  that  you  would  follow  me 
to  the  world's  end.  Of  course  I  know  what  it 
usually  amounts  to  when  men  like  you  say 
such  things.  But  what  else  has  brought  you 
here?  " 


The  Settler's  First  Battle.  37 

"  Miss  Raleigh,  }'ou  know  my  unhappy  fate. 
I  am  a  vagabond  in  the  earth.  I  can  give  no 
reason  for  my  presence  in  any  place.  I  am 
here  because  I  have  drifted  here  ;  I  know  no 
other  reason." 

"  It  is  a  singular  chance  that  has  tlirown  us 
together  again  after  I  had  put  the  world  be- 
tween us." 

"  It  cannot  be  chance.  Really,  I  almost 
believe  in  Providence.  You  are  striving 
against  fate  in  attempting  to  keep  us  apart." 

"  Sir  Edward  Willougiiby,  I  shall  not  listen 
to  another  word  in  that  strain." 

"  Now,  my  dear  Miss  Raleigh,  say  no  more 
about  the  difference  in  our  stations,  we  are 
equal  now  ;  I  have  renounced  the  pride  of  my 
house,  I  have  cast  off  all  that  raises  me  above 
you.  I  could  live  forever  in  these  woods  if  I 
might  share  my  life  with  you." 

"  I  shall  ask  you  to  make  no  such  sacrifice, 
but  if  you  wish  me  to  believe  in  the  sincerity 
of  your  devotion  I  will  give  you  a  test." 

"  Name  your  test.  I  would  give  my  heart's 
blood  to  prove  my  devotion." 

"  Return  to  England,  resume  the  duties  of 
your  high  estate,  dismiss  your  evil  associates, 
redeem  the  memories  of  those  you  have  so 
cruelly  wronged,  show  justice  and  mercy  to 
your  miserable  tenants — do  all  this  if  you  are 
a  true  man.  And  until  you  have  done  this  I 
tell  you,  once  for  all,  the  poorest  peasant  in 
Englanrl  is  d(%'irer  to  me  than  Sir  Edward 
Willoughby." 


38  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

"  Helen  !  Helen  !  all  this  will  I  do  and  more 
if  you  will  go  with  me  and  strengthen  my 
hand.  This  is  my  only  salvation.  This  is  the 
open  door  of  Heaven.  If  you  spurn  me  away 
I  have  no  other  hope." 

Miss  Raleigh  lifted  up  her  face  and  clasped 
lier  hands  before  her  eyes  and  moaned  in  an- 
guish of  spirit.  Then  after  an  interval  of 
silence  she  became  strangely  calm  and  replied 
in  firm  tones : 

"  Sir  Edward  Willoughby,  if  you  will  not  do 
right  for  your  own  sake  you  will  not  do  it  for 
mine.  Now  I  ask  you  at  least  to  have  the 
kindness  to  leave  me." 

"  May  I  not  see  you  again?" 

"  Never  alone.  If  you  are  a  gentleman  you 
will  not  seek  it." 

"  May  I  not  see  you  with  your  friends?  " 

"My  people  are  Devonshire  folks  and  no 
doubt  would  be  glad  to  see  an   old  neighbor." 

So  after  all  she  had  not  entirely  dismissed 
him,  he  would  see  her  again. 

Sir  Edward  Willoughby  went  toward  Dr. 
Thompson's  and  Miss  Raleigh  picked  up  her 
pail  of  berries  and  hurried  home. 

She  drew  her  mother  into  the  bedroom  and 
threw  herself  where  she  had  been  wont  to  fly 
for  comfort  in  childhood.  Her  overstrung 
nerves  gave  way,  her  iron  composure  was  gone, 
her  frame  shook  with  convulsive  weeping.  She 
gasped  through  her  sobs  : 

"  Oh  !  mother,  mother,  he  is  here,  he  is 
here." 


The  Settler's  First  Battle.  39 

What  a  world  of  trouble  those  words  laid 
upon  that  faitiifui  mother's  heart.  She  only- 
said  soothingly  : 

"  My  poor,  wee  lamb." 

She  stood  in  silence  looking  out  of  the  win- 
dow. The  soul  that  looked  out  through  those 
faded  blue  eyes  saw  more  than  the  pine  tops 
and  the  blue  sky  above  them — it  saw  through 
the  azure  veil  the  Throne  of  God,  and  to  that 
throne  of  Infinite  Justice  a  silent  appeal  was 
made. 


40  The  Lady  of  Mark. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   stranger's   CAMP, 

Dr.  Thompson  had  been  away  for  a  couple 
of  days  attending  to  distant  patients,  and  on 
his  return  was  looking  over  his  little  estate 
when  he  met  at  the  edge  of  the  bush  the 
stranger  who  has  been  described  in  our  last 
chapter.  Greetings  passed  betweeen  them. 
The  stranger  then  inquired  for  Dr.  Thompson 
and  seemed  surprised  to  learn  that  that  indivi- 
dual stood  before  him. 

"  Well  really,  now,"  he  replied,  "  Beg 
pardon,  but  I  declare  I  would  not  have  thought 
It, 

"  I  suppose  my  appearance  is  not  very  pro- 
fessional ?  "  said  the  Doctor. 

"  My  name  is  Willoughby,"  said  the  stranger, 
"  I  have  a  sporting  camp  on  the  shore  of  the 
lake  and  I  came  over  to  see  you  on  business." 

He  was  shown  into  the  house. 

"  Now,"  he  continued,  "  I  am  informed  that 
you  have  a  very  desirable  negro." 

"  I  have  a  colored  man  in  my  employ." 

"  Ah !  the  same,  I  have  no  doubt.  I  am  in- 
formed that  he  is  a  genius  for  cooking,  trap- 
ping, fishing  and  these  arts,  and  we  were  desir- 


The  Stranger's  Camp.  41 

ous    of   getting    his    services    for  a    few  days. 
Name  your  price  if  you  can  spare  him." 

"  I  should  have  no  objections  to  his  earning 
a  few  dollars  for  himself  ;  he  don't  get  much  in 
any  other  way,"  said   the  Doctor. 

"  I  should  imagine  that  money  was  not  very 
plentiful  about  here ;  the  prospects  of  the 
country  are  not  enticing  just  at  present." 

"  It  has  nothing  to  offer  any  one  but  the 
hardest  work  and  the  poorest  living  for  a  few 
years,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"  I  am  amazed  that  any  one  should  be 
satisfied  with  that  in  this  age  of  the  world," 
said  Willoughby.  "  And,  do  you  know,  it 
really  surprised  me  to  find  a  man  of  your 
quality  in  such  a  region.  And  you  seem  to  be 
settled  here,"  he  glanced  as  he  spoke  toward 
the  dispensary  and  library. 

"  Yes,  I  am  settled  here,  and  I  find  plenty  to 
do,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"  But  you  have  hardly  a  good  paying  prac- 
tise, I  should   think." 

"  My  cash  income  is  very  small.  I  live  by  my 
farm,"  said  the  Doctor. 

•'  You  will  pardon  me.  Dr.  Thompson  for 
expressing  my  surprise." 

"  I  have  no  doubt,  Mr.  Willoughby,  that 
my  position  must  seem  strange  to  you,  but  I 
have  my  own  reasons  for  being  here." 

Dr.  Thompson  had  been  carefully  observing 
his  guest,  and  by  tliis  time  he  had  made  a  fairly 
correct  estimate  of  his  character.  He  knew 
that  it  would   be  useless  to  explain   to   such  a 


42  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

man    the   object   of  his  voluntary  exile.       Sir 
Edward   Willoughby  was  one  of  those  gentle- 
men  of    pleasure   to  whom   the    idea    of    self- 
denial  never  occurs  except  as  the  conception  of 
an  extinct  or    impossible  virtue.     No  one  but 
an   idiot  (so    he   reasoned)   ever  did   anything 
except  for  his  own  personal  good.      Every  one 
judges  the  world  as  he   finds  it:  and  how  he 
finds  it  will  depend  very  largely  upon  what  he 
is.     Sir  Edward  Willoughby  was  selfishness  in 
the  concrete,  and  the  world  he  lived  in   was  a 
reflection  of  his  own  inner  self.     His  ideas  of  life 
in  the  bush  had  been   gathered   from  English 
novels.     He  had  learned  that  there  were  often 
"  gentlemen  "  who  had  been  driven  to  that  life 
by  "  circumstances  over  which  they  had  no  con- 
trol."    He  was   quite   sure  that  whatever  Dr. 
Thompson's  reasons  were  they  had  to  do  with 
his  own  personal  welfare.     He  would  not  have 
been  surprised  to  learn  that  Dr.  Thompson  was 
a   released   convict  or  a  criminal  in  hiding,  nor 
would  he  have  thought  any  the  worse  of  him 
for  such  a  discovery.     David   said  in  his  haste, 
"  All  men  are  liars,'"  Sir  Edward  added  a  few 
other  epithets  and  said  it  deliberately. 

A  conversation  upon  general  topics  followed 
and  they  returned  to  the  business  of  the 
evening.  Finally,  Caesar  was  dispatched  to 
the  camp  with  a  few  of  his  effects  in  a  hunting 
bag.  The  delight  of  Black  Caesar's  heart  was 
to  wait  on  hunting  parties,  to  cook  for  them, 
to  show  them  where  the  big  trout  lay,  to  lay 
the  trail  of  bear  or  moose,  tO  stalk  the  red 


V 


The  Stranger's  Camp.  43 

deer,  to  trap  mink  and  otter  and  sell  the  skins 
to  city  sports  at  high  rates,  so  he  started  in 
high  glee.  The  Doctor  and  his  guest  then 
sauntered  through  the  forest  to  the  creek  to 
where  Sir  Edward  had  left  his  canoe. 

Lake  Kabiscongue  is  connected  with  the 
great  water-ways  of  Canada  by  a  narrow  strait. 
Through  this  inlet  Sir  Edward  Willoughby's 
yacht  had  made  its  way.  On  entering  the  lake 
Sir  Edward  had  been  observed  to  become 
strangely  interested  in  the  shores.  He  fre- 
quently went  ashore  unattended  and  visited 
settlements  to  make  inquiries.  Their  course 
was  changed  in  a  most  erratic  manner.  Finally 
the  yacht  was  brought  to  anchor  at  the  mouth 
of  a  small  creek  flowing  through  the  township 
of  Mark.  Here,  to  the  surprise  of  the  company. 
Sir  Edward  announced  his  intention  of  staying 
a  few  days  to  hunt  and  fish.  He  landed  a 
tent  and  a  store  of  provisions;  selected  two 
companions  and  dismissed  the  rest  to  continue 
their  cruise  in  the  regions  beyond.  Life  in 
camp  had  proven  very  monotonous ;  fishing 
was  a  complete  failure  and  shooting  not  much 
better.  Sir  Edward  had  spent  most  of  the 
time  rambling  about  alone,  generally  absenting 
himself  most  of  the  day  and  giving  his  friends 
no  account  of  his  doings.  This  camp  on  the 
shore  now  demands  our  attention. 

About  the  time  that  Sir  Edward  was  having 
his  interview  with  Dr.  Thompson  his  conduct 
was  undergoing  discussion  at  the  camp.  One 
young  man  was  attending  the  fire  and  the  other 


44  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

was  just  arriving  from  the  beach  with  a  fishing- 
rod. 

"  Well,  my  devoted  son  of  a  fwesh  water 
cook,  what's  for  supper,  twout  or  salmon?" 

"  It  will  have  to  be  salmon,"  replied  he  of 
the  fire. 

"  Then  dive  into  the  old  hamper  once  more. 
There's  better  fishing  there  than  anywhere 
else.  1  declare  to  fortune,  I'm  completely 
flabbergasted  with  our  luck.  Now,  to-day  I 
fell  in  with  an  atwocious  wascal  of  a  native 
who  undertook  for  a  considewation  to  show  me 
where  there  were  fish.  I  bvvibed  the  scallowag 
with  good  cuwent  coin  of  the  wealm,  and  all  I 
got  for  my  money  and  twubble  was  that  howid 
slimy  weptile  with  spikes  wound  his  nose. 
What  do  you  call  that  wetched  cweature  ?  " 

"  Mudcat,"  suggested  the  other. 

"  Is  the  chief  off  on  the  wampage  again  ?  " 

"  He  has  been  gone  ever  since  noon.  " 

"  What  do  you  suppose  he  is  up  to,  pwouling 
about  alone  in  these  barbawous  woods  like 
this?" 

"  Oh  !  he  is  on  the  shoot,  I  suppose." 

"  Shoot,  your  gwandmother  I  What  does  he 
ever  shoot  but  those  squiwels  and  that  other 
beast,  don't  you  know,  the  animal  with  the 
vulgar  name,  the  time  he  came  home  without 
his  twouscrs  having  given  them  to  that  bwigand 
of  a  twapper  because  they  were  incuwewably 
tainted.  What  do  you  call  that  outwagious 
cweature  ?  " 

"  Skunk,"  replied  the  fire-keeper. 


The  Stranger's  Camp.  45 

"  Phew  !  Don't  mention  it,  the  very  name 
is  malodowous.  Nice  work  that  for  an  EngHsh 
bawonet.  Now  between  you  and  me,  my  dear 
Wogers,  I  don't  think  much  of  this  affair. 
I  didn't  count  on  any  such  gwind  when  we 
left  Montweal.  Just  tliink  of  those  fellows 
away  on  the  yacht  with  all  the  good  things 
on  board  and  here  are  we  on  this  desolate 
coast  catching  skunks  and  mudcats.  Our 
alimentawy  substance  is  getting  low,  our  liquid 
comforts  are  specially  short.  And,  to  cwown 
all,  there  is  the  chief  cutting  up  in  that  un- 
accountable fashion.  I  shall  be  tempted  to  get 
upon  his  twail  some  of  these  days  to  find  out 
what  he  is  after." 

"If  we  were  in  any  civilized  country,"  said 
Rogers,  bluntly,  "  I  should  say  there  was  a 
woman  in  the  case." 

"  Do  you  suppose  there  are  no  women  in 
this  country?"  said  the  other,  who  was  called 
Somers. 

"  What  woman  can  there  be  that  he  is  in- 
terested in?  " 

By  this  time  it  was  quite  dark  and  the  flickering  : 
light  of  the  leaping  flames  made  their  shadows 
dance  among  the   trees.     They  were    startled 
to  sec  a  colored  man  step  into  the  firelight. 

"  Hallo  !  old  Lampblack,"  said  Somers, 
"  where  do  you  come  fwom  ?  " 

"  Dis  yer  camp  whut  belong  to  a  chap  name 
Willcrby  ?  "  asked  the  newcomer. 

"  Well — er — yes,"  was  the  drawling  reply, 
"  that's  the  chap's  name." 


46  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

"  De  boss,  he  hire  me  for  come  up  here  an' 
cook  an'  fish." 

"  Hurrah!  Sooty,  that's  good  news.  Unsling 
your  pack,  old  man,  and  get  to  work.  We'll 
take  twout  for  supper  wight  away." 

"  I  ain'  gittin  no  trout  this  time  er  night. 
I'll  git  trout  to-morrer.  My  name's  Caesar  if 
you  wanterknow." 

"  Thanks,  most  noble  Caesar.  And  might 
I  ask  how  long  you  have  been  in  the  coun- 
try?" 

"  I  ben  yer  jis  free  years." 

"  Oh  !  I  say  now,  does  it  get  a  man's  com- 
plexion up  to  that  shade  in  three  years?" 

"  Ise  black  when  I  come  yer,  master,  jis  black 
es  I  be  now." 

"  Well,  your  complexion  is  keeping  better 
than  mine  is." 

Caesar  by  this  time  had  laid  down  his  pack 
and  was  making  up  the  fire. 

Somers  drew  out  a  pocket  flask  and  poured 
out  a  dram  of  brandy. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "  in  honor  of  our  meeting 
will  Caesar  drink  with  me?  " 

Caesar  gave  a  sniff  and  gazed  longingly  at 
the  liquor  but  he  replied  sturdily: 

"  No." 

"  Sohe  won't  deign  todwink  with  me.  Bwutus 
said  he  was  ambitious." 

"  I  jined  de  temp'rance  eber  since  I  ben  wid 
Doc.  Richard." 

"  I  admire  your  abstinence  though  I  don't 
practice  it.     I  happen  to  be  afiflicted  like  a  cer- 


The  Stranger's  Camp.  47 

tain  chawacter  in  the  New  Testament.     Take 
coffee,  Csesar,  or  chocolate?  " 

"  I  genelly  takes  tea,  I  ain't  much  on  fancy 
drinks." 

"  Very  well,  Wogers,  pass  down  the  tea-can. 
Take  cweam,  Caesar?" 

"  Whut's  in  dat  dar  tin  can  ?  " 

"  That's  the  cweam,  Caesar,  otherwise  the 
condensed  milk.  It's  good  for  tea.  It's  good 
for  the  complexion,  though  I  suppose  you  pwefer 
Day  and  Martin's." 

Caesar  took  the  bantering  good-naturedly 
and  made  a  hearty  supper.  Just  as  he  finished 
the  splash  of  a  paddle  was  heard  and  Sir  Edward 
returned.  The  loquacious  Somers  was  more 
subdued  in  the  presence  of  his  chief,  and,  al- 
though burning  with  curiosity,  he  did  not 
venture  to  ask  more  than  a  few  general  ques- 
tions. Sir  Edward  was  not  in  a  communicative 
humor.  He  ate  his  supper  in  moody  silence 
and  immediately  retired. 

We,  too,  will  take  leave  of  the  camp  and  re- 
turn to  the  Raleigh  homestead.  Helen's  en- 
counter was  known  to  the  whole  circle  within 
a  few  minutes  of  her  return.  The  old  people 
sat  together  and  conversed  in  whispers  as 
though  the  shadow  of  a  great  cloud  had  fallen 
upon  them.  Grace  was  with  Helen,  who  sat 
motionless  for  an  hour  with  her  head  bowed 
upon  her  arms.  Peter  paced  up  and  down  in 
front  of  the  house  as  though  on  guard,  and  from 
the  emphatic  manner  in  which  he  spat  on  his 
hands  and  clenched  his  fists  he  was  evidently 


48  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

getting  up  steam  in  true  English  fashion.  The 
conclusion  that  he  came  to  was  that  as  they 
were  well  out  of  England  where  titles  did  not 
count  he  would  thrash  the  baronet  out  of  hand. 
This  decision  gave  him  such  comfort  that  he 
went  about  his  chores  with  great  serenity  of 
mind. 

"  Oh  !  Grace,"  wailed  poor  Helen,  "  Is 
there  no  place  on  earth  where  I  can  hide  from 
that  man  ?  " 

"  Never  mind,  Helen,  dear,"  said  Grace, 
soothingly,  "  perhaps  you  will  never  see  him 
again." 

"  Yes,  I  shall.  He  almost  compelled  me  to 
promise  that  I  would  see  him  again.  How  is  it 
that  a  bad  man  can  have  such  power  ?  His 
presence  throws  a  spell  about  me  that  I  cannot 
resist.     He  will  come  again." 

Sure  enough  he  came  again  the  following 
evening.  He  represented  himself  as  an  English- 
man abroad  who  had  unexpectedly  fallen  in 
with  friends  whom  he  had  known  in  the  dear 
old  land.  It  would  have  been  less  than  human 
to  have  refused  to  receive  him  on  those  terms. 
So  he  was  greeted  with  respectful  civility  and 
admitted  to  their  evening  circle.  There  is 
nothing  like  meeting  old  acquaintances  in  a 
foreign  land  to  stir  up  one's  social  nature.  Per- 
sons who  at  home  have  but  a  bowing  acquaint- 
ance would  become  close  friends  if  they  met 
under  another  sky.  Sir  Edward  surpassed  him- 
self, his  affability,  so  to  speak,  carried  the 
house.     One    must    be    familiar  with    English 


The  Stranger's  Camp.  49 

rural  life  to  know  the  influence  which  a  man  of 
rank  can  wield  upon  the  tenant  farmer  class. 
All  this  fascination  was  in  full  play.  He  made 
no  allusion  to  the  past  that  had  troubled  them, 
but  he  acted  as  though  he  had  concluded  that 
that  was  all  disposed  of.  He  treated  Helen 
with  a  respectful  courtesy  that  made  the  hearts 
of  her  parents  glow  wnth  pleasure.  Helen  was 
on  some  pretense  drawn  away  from  the  com- 
pany and  together  they  rambled  around  the 
edge  of  the  clearing. 

"You  may  trust  me,  Helen,"  said  Sir  Ed- 
ward ;  "  I  have  not  forgotten  the  terms  upon 
which  you  have  granted  me  this  meeting." 

"  I  am  willing  to  meet  you  as  a  friend,  Sir 
Edward,"  she  replied.  "  But,  remember,  any 
reference  to  any  other  relationship,  and  we  part 
forever." 

They  rambled  through  the  bars  and  into  a 
glade  which  extended  into  the  forest  still  with- 
in sight  of  the  group  sitting  in  front  of  the 
house.  Here  they  stood  for  a  few  minutes 
conversing  in  subdued  tones.  Helen's  pulse 
was  tingling.  Her  animation  was  expressed  in 
the  brightness  of  her  eyes  and  the  flush  that 
mantled  her  cheeks  and  brows.  Her  head  was 
uncovered  save  for  her  glorious  hair  that  rolled 
in  golden  waves  about  her  snowy  neck  and 
temples  whose  purity  had  not  yet  iDcen  marred 
by  tile  Canadian  sun.  Her  graceful  dress  of 
light  muslin  draped  her  rounded  and  vigorous 
form.  She  was  a  woman  to  set  a  man's  heart 
bounding.     There  they  parted.     Helen  tripped 

4 


50  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

back  to  the  house,  and  Sir  Edward's  heavy 
tramp  resounded  as  he  forced  his  way  toward 
the  creek. 

Scarcely  had  they  parted  when  a  man  who 
had  lain  concealed  in  the  underbrush  within 
a  few  feet  from  where  they  were  standing, 
arose  and  dashed  off  in  a  direction  which 
brought  him  to  the  river  considerably  below 
where  Sir  Edward  had  left  his  canoe. 

"  Hi !  there,  Wogers,"  he  called  in  an  un- 
dertone. 

There  was  a  man  in  a  boat  who  replied  : 

"  Is  that  you,  Somers  ?  " 

"  Hush!  push  in  the  boat." 

He  stepped  quietly  on  board  and  the  other 
pulled  swiftly  along  the  river  about  two  hun- 
dred yards  ahead  of  the  canoe. 

"  What  did  you  make  out,  Somers  ?  "  asked 
the  man  rowing. 

"  Wogers,  I  made  out  that  you  and  I  are  a 
pair  of  the  blamedest  fools  that  ev^er  lived." 

"How's  that?" 

"  Your  surmise  last  night  was  the  cowect 
one." 

"  What,  a  woman,  a  native?  " 

"  A  woman,  Wogers,  but  no  native.  An 
Englishwoman,  a  beauty,  a  woman  for  whom 
I  should  wish  a  better  lover  than  Sir  Edward." 

Is  it  anything  surprising  that  after  the  de- 
parture of  Sir  Edward  Miss  Raleigh  was  in  an 
almost  hysterical  condition.  The  fascination 
which  he  exercised  ceased  the  moment  his  pres- 
ence was    withdrawn,  and  there    were    mem- 


The  Stranger's  Camp.  51 

ories  of  the  past  which  justified  her  in  regard- 
ing him  with  loathing  and  scorn.  While  he 
was  present  he  filled  the  whole  sphere  of  her 
thoughts,  but  in  his  absence  she  could  only 
see  him  in  the  light  of  certain  deeds  which 
blasted  his  name  with  infamy.  So  she  wept 
and  wailed  as  before  and  vov/ed  that  she  would 
never  look  upon  his  face  again.  During  these 
tempestuous  moments  Dr.  Thompson  was  very 
much  in  her  thoughts.  She  scarcely  knew  how 
she  regarded  him.  Certainly  he  had  proven 
himself  a  devoted  and  unselfish  friend.  He  had 
shown  them  so  much  disinterested  kindness 
that  she  felt  inclined  to  appeal  to  him  in  this 
trouble.  She  did  not  know  how  he  could  help 
her,  but  she  was  anxious  that  he  should  have 
her  version  of  the  matter  before  he  had  any 
other.  Sir  Edward's  presence  there  would  soon 
be  known,  the  reason  would  soon  follow  as  a 
matter  of  course.  And  if  the  character  of  the 
man  were  discovered  it  would  present  her  in  a 
bad  light  before  the  community.  She  said 
"  the  community  "  but  she  meant  Dr.  Thomp- 
son, and  she  admitted  to  herself  that  she  did 
care  somewhat  for  Dr.  Thompson's  opinion. 

It  happened  that  the  doctor  himself  soon 
had  occasion  for  some  serious  thoughts  on  the 
subject.  The  two  conspirators  at  the  camp 
had  plied  Caesar  with  questions  concerning  this 
mysterious  lady  of  the  woods.  Csesar's  own 
suspicions  were  aroused.  He  managed  to  learn 
more  from  them  than  they  did  from  him. 
Thinking  that  this  information  would  be  inter- 


52  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

esting  to  his  employer  he  had  begged  leave  of 
absence  and  come  home  to  lay  it  before  Dr. 
Thompson.  Thus  Dr.  Thompson  learned  that 
Miss  Raleigh  was  the  attraction  that  had  drawn 
an  English  baronet  into  this  remote  locality. 

Ca;sar  was  of  the  opinion  that  judging  from 
the  company  he  kept : 

"  Dis  yer  wheel-barrer  ain'  no  great  shakes." 

"Wheel-barrow,  Caesar?"  inquired  Dr. 
Thompson. 

"  Dat's  whut  dey  sez  he  is,  an'  dey  calls  him 
Sail   Edward." 

"  Sir  Edward.  You  must  mean  a  baronet, 
Csesar." 

"  Like  enough.  Sump'n  to  do  wid  a  barrer, 
a  barrer-net  may  be." 

Dr.  Thompson  was  very  thoughtful  after  this 
discovery.  It  confirmed  him  in  his  opinion 
that  Miss  Raleigh  had  memories  that  troubled 
her.  He  scarcely  knew  how  he  regarded  her. 
She  was  a  friend  whom  he  highly  esteemed  and 
he  supposed  he  could  be  a  friend  still  though 
he  might  not  aspire  to  any  higher  relationship. 
Still  he  wished  that  her  lover  might  be  a  worthy 
man,  and  his  estimate  of  Sir  Edward  Willough- 
by  was  not  encouraging. 

When  next  he  visited  the  Raleighs  he 
listened  to  Helen's  narrative  giving  a  detailed 
history  of  her  relationship  with  Sir  Edward 
Willoughby. 


Helen's  Narrative.  53 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Helen's  narrative. 

"  It  will  be  very  nearly  tlie  story  of  my  life, 
Dr.  Thompson.  You  must  know  that  I  spent 
my  childhood  and  youth  on  a  farm  which  was 
a  part  of  the  estate  of  the  late  Squire  Fanshaw. 
Our  house  was  quite  near  to  the  Hall,  and  we 
were  well  acquainted  with  the  members  of  the 
Squire's  family.  In  fact  the  young  ladies  and 
I  were  playmates  from  infancy.  Those  were 
happy  days  in  dear  old  Devon.  In  the  inno- 
cence of  childhood  we  knew  notiiing  of  the 
difference  of  rank.  Their  stately  home  was  a 
wonderful  place  to  me  and  our  rambling  old 
farmhouse  and  old-fashioned  outbuildings  were 
not  less  so  to  them.  As  we  grew  older  the 
difference  in  our  stations  grew  upon  us.  But, 
it  was  not  embarrassing,  for  I  was  so  devoted 
to  those  ladies  that  I  could  readily  serve  them 
in  a  subordinate  capacity. 

"  They  were  older  than  I  and  came  first  to 
womanhood.  Then  there  were  great  doings  at 
the  Hall, — balls,  garden-parties  with  a  lot  of 
stylish  folk  from  far  and  near.  Of  course  I 
could  not  attend  those  festivities.  I  have 
reason  to  know  that  it  was  as  much  to  their 


54  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

regret  as  to  mine.  But  I  waited  on  my  ladies. 
I  arranged  their  toilets  and  dressed  their  hair 
and  selected  lovers  for  them.  Of  course  there 
were  beaus  and  love-making  and  finally,  an 
engagement.  Miss  Blanche  was  engaged  to  a 
great  man,  a  baronet,  who  had  large  estates  in 
a  distant  part  of  England.  Miss  Blanche  told 
me  all  about  it  ;  it  was  considered  a  most  bril- 
liant affair.  But  I  did  not  approve  of  it,  for  I 
suspected  that  Sir  Charles  Cranburne's  chief 
recommendations  were  his  title  and  his  wealth. 
Miss  Blanche  noticed  my  silence  and  asked  why 
I  did  not  congratulate  her.  I  could  only  reply 
that  I  felt  the  sorrow  of  parting  with  her  too 
much.  She  then  insisted  that  we  should  not 
part  ;  she  would  need  a  maid  and  no  one 
would  suit  her  as  well  as  I  would.  She  pleaded 
with  my  parents  till  they  consented  to  let  me 
go.  So  my  trunk  was  packed  and  I  left  the 
home  of  my  childhood. 

"  I  was  then  about  sixteen.  The  wedding 
was  a  grand  affair.  It  was  I  who  dressed  the 
bride,  and  on  her  return  from  the  church  she 
kissed  me  and  told  me  that  she  was  now 
Lady  Cranburne.  But  I  called  her  the  Lady 
Blanche,  for  I  loved  the  old  name  best.  I  never 
liked  Sir  Charles,  and  I  believe  he  never  liked 
me,  for  I  was  too  much  in  the  confidence  of 
his  wife.  Dr.  Thompson,  there  was  no  love  in 
that  wedding.  There  were  prancing  horses, 
liveried  attendants,  sparkling  jewels,  glistening 
silks  and  satins,  old  family  plate  and  all  the 
pomp   of  wealth  and  state,  but  there  was  no 


Helen's  Narrative.  55 

love.  It  was  a  heartless  and  soulless  affair, 
and  my  heart  was  heavy  for  my  sweet  Blanche. 
After  the  wedding,  we  went  abroad.  We 
traveled  on  the  continent  for  several  months 
and  visited  many  foreign  countries.  Then  we 
returned  to  the  Cranburne  country  seat  the 
Manor  of  Mereside.  It  was  situated  in  a  lonely  , 
valley  fronting  a  beautiful  lake.  There  were 
mountains  around,  or  what  are  called  mountains 
in  England.  So  the  country  was  beautiful  but 
lonely.  In  fact  the  only  road  in  the  place  was 
the  road  to  the  Manor,  so  we  saw  very  little  of 
our  neighbors. 

"We  had  a  happy  life.  Sir  Charles  left  us 
very  much  to  ourselves  during  the  shooting 
season,  our  only  society  being  his  unmarried 
sister  and  the  servants  of  the  house.  Several 
of  the  local  grandees  called  upon  us,  but  we 
were  so  remote  that  there  were  few  of  them. 
For  a  few  weeks  we  were  girls  together.  We 
rowed  and  sailed,  and  fished  in  the  Mere. 
We  rambled  about  the  forest  and  rocks  and 
rode  or  drove  about  the  country.  Before  the 
servants  I  was  '  my  lady's  maid,'  but  as 
soon  as  we  were  alone  we  were  Blanche  and 
Helen  as  in  the  old  days.  The  queer  old  Tudor 
mansion  was  very  interesting  to  us  with  its 
stores  of  old  armor  and  weapons  and  its  ances- 
tral portrait  gallery.  The  moat  and  ramparts 
could  still  be  traced  in  the  terraces  of  the 
garden,  some  of  the  cellars  looked  suspiciously 
like  dungeons  and  the  walls  still  bore  marks 
left  by  the  cannon  of  Cromwell.     There  was 


56  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

also  in  the  neighborhood  the  remains  of  the 
original  castle,  an  old  Norman  keep  built  by 
Guesclin  de  Cranburne  in  the  days  of  the 
"  Conqueror."  We  were  very  happy,  although 
my  ideas  of  married  life  were  confused  as  I 
saw  that  my  lady  was  happier  in  the  absence 
of  her  husband  and  seemed  to  dread  his  re- 
appearing. During  the  bad  weather  of  the  fall 
and  early  winter  we  had  the  honor  of  his 
presence  for  several  months. 

"  My  suspicions  were  speedily  confirmed, 
Sir  Charles  was  a  wretch.  I  knew  very  soon 
that  my  darling  had  troubles  which  she  did 
not  confide  to  me.  When  he  was  not  diverted 
by  the  excitement  of  travel  or  the  dissipations 
of  his  fashionable  set  his  humor  was  unbearable. 
Only  for  my  lady's  sake  I  would  have  returned 
to  Devonshire.  Fortunately  it  did  not  last 
long.  We  went  up  to  London  for  the  '  Season.' 
We  occupied  a  mansion  in  the  Bayswater 
Crescent.  What  a  grand  life  my  lady  led  ! 
I  was  positively  bewildered  at  the  display. 
Among  other  great  events  she  was  presented 
at  Buckingham  Palace,  I  prepared  her  for  the 
reception,  and  her  court  costume  was  the  most 
gorgeous  I  ever  handled.  I  heard  from  others 
that  Lady  Cranburne  was  the  belle  of  the 
occasion.  A  great  deal  went  on  that  winter 
which  I  could  not  approve,  perhaps  more  if  I 
could  have  understood.  But  gentlefolks  have 
ways  that  are  different  from  ours  and  we 
scarcely  know  how  to  judge  them.  Certainly 
I  could  not  wonder  if  there  were  gentlemen 


Helen's  Narrative.  57 

whose  society  was  more  agreeable  to  Lady 
Cranburne  than  that  of  her  own  husband,  and 
certainly  he  had  no  reason  to  complain  if  such 
were  the  case,  for  he  sought  his  pleasure  any- 
where but  in  her  presence.  There  was  that  in 
the  conduct  of  both  of  them  which  I  would  know 
how  to  condemn  in  people  of  my  own  class, 
but  rank,  I  suppose,  has  its  privileges. 

"  Her  ladyship's  manner  toward  me  was 
changing  as  the  result  of  all  this  ;  I  became 
more  of  a  servant  and  less  of  a  friend.  It  was 
a  relief  when  we  left  the  city  and  returned  to 
the  country.  Then  came  another  trip  to  the 
continent  and  a  wearisome  journey  from  one 
fashionable  resort  to  another.  Sir  Charles 
seemed  to  be  devoured  by  a  craving  for  excite- 
ment that  nothing  could  satisfy.  How  I 
wearied  of  this  restless  life  and  longed  to  settle 
down  somewhere.  At  last  Lady  Cranburne 
remained  for  some  time  at  Florence,  while  Sir 
Charles  was  away  on  a  cruise  by  himself. 
When  we  returned  to  England  we  took  up 
our  abode,  not  at  Mereside,  but  at  a  new 
house  which  the  Cranburnes  owned  on  the 
outskirts  of  a  county  town. 

"  In  the  meantime  Miss  Alice  was  married.  I 
suspected  that  there  was  something  not  satis- 
factory about  her  marriage,  as  it  took  place 
quietly  and  without  any  display.  But  she,  too, 
had  married  well,  so  people  said.  That  is  to 
say  she  had  married  rank  and  wealth.  She 
was  now  Lady  Willoughby  of  Pasmore.  The 
old  Squire  was  very  much  elated  that  each  of 


58  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

his  daughters  should  have  married  into  a  noble 
house.  Of  Sir  Harold  Willoughly  I  had  no 
knowledge.  But  a  younger  brother  of  his 
had  been  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  Hall  in 
my  time  and  had  paid  marked  attention  to 
Miss  Alice.  Between  them  I  knew  there  was  a 
very  tender  feeling,  and  it  surprised  me  that 
Alice  should  leave  her  devoted  lover  and 
marry  his  brother  whom  she  scarcely  knew. 
But  Sir  Harold  had  the  title  and  estates  and 
Squire  Fanshaw  would  he  unwilling  that 
one  daughter  should  marry  below  the  other. 
Whoever  had  her  hand  I  knew  where  her  heart 
was,  and  I  very  much  feared  that  family  pride 
had  forced  poor  Alice  into  a  loveless  marriage. 
Between  Sir  Harold  and  his  brother  there  was 
no  love  lost.  The  Pasmore  estate,  though  large, 
was  strictly  entailed  and  there  was  little  for 
the  younger  son.  He  felt  the  injustice  of 
this  keenly,  and  it  rankled  in  his  breast  until  it 
was  likely  to  sour  his  entire  nature.  Sir  Harold 
was  cold,  proud  and  heartless.  His  brother 
was  hot-blooded  and  impulsive  and  naturally 
of  a  generous  disposition.  They  seldom  met 
without  an  outbreak  which  was  marked  by 
cold  reproaches  on  the  one  side  and  a  fiery 
ebullition  on  the  other.  I  trembled  when  I 
thought  how  this  deadly  feud  would  be  inten- 
sified by  this  marriage. 

"  Now  I  come  to  the  crisis  of  my  story.  One 
day  a  carriage  drove  up  to  the  house.  I  did 
not  see  who  had  arrived.  But  in  a  few  minutes 
a  cry  in    Lady  Cranburne's  room  caught  my 


Helen's  Narrative.  59 

ear.  I  hurried  to  the  room.  There  were 
voices  within  and  what  I  saw  made  me  hesitate 
to  enter.  Lady  Cranburne  sat,  pale  and  rigid, 
as  though  stunned  by  some  terrible  blow. 
Lady  Willoughby  was  kneeling  before  her, 
clasping  her  waist,  sobbing  and  pleading  hys- 
terically : 

"  '  Before  God,  he  is  my  husband,'  she  wailed, 
*  We  were  pledged  to  each  other.  I  never 
loved  Sir  Harold.  It  was  cruel  to  force  me 
into  that  hateful  marriage.  I  will  not  be  sac- 
rificed to  pride.  I  have  a  right  to  rebel.  Oh  ! 
sister,  why  can  we  not  marry  whom  we  love 
as  the  poor  people  do  ?  ' 

"  I  turned  away  sick  with  horror.  I  had 
learned  enough  to  informi  me  that  she  was 
traveling,  not  with  her  husband,  but  with  her 
husband's  brother,  with  Edward  Willoughby." 

(She  noticed  the  start  that  Dr.  Thompson 
gave  at  the  mention  of  this  name.) 

"Yes,  Dr.  Thompson,"  she  continued,  "  and 
the  presence  of  Edward  Willoughby  in  this 
neighborhood  is  my  reason  for  telling  you  this 
story. 

"  In  the  midst  of  all  this  distress  Sir  Charles 
appeared.  He  went  straight  to  the  room  and 
ordered  Lady  Willoughby  out  of  the  house. 
Then  there  was  a  scene.  The  ladies  wept  and 
pleaded,  Sir  Charles  raved  and  thundered. 
Finally  he  tore  the  weeping  sisters  apart  and 
led  Lady  Willoughby  to  the  door  where,  with 
a  show  of  politeness,  he  handed  her  into  the 
carriage.     As  the  carriage  rumbled   off,  Lady 


6o  The  Ladj'  of  Mark. 

Cranburne  burst  out  of  a  side  door  and  rushed 
through  the  shrubbery  to  intercept  it  at  the  gate. 
Her  movement  was  observed  and  Sir  Charles 
started  after,  grinding  the  gravel  beneath  his 
wrathful  strides.  Full  of  concern  for  my  lady 
I  too  followed  the  carriage  but  kept  myself 
concealed  in  the  shrubbery.  Sir  Charles  was 
holding  his  wife  by  the  arm  and  calling  to 
the  coachman  to  drive  on.  Lady  Cranburne 
said  indignantly  : 

"  '  Sir  Charles,  you  are  a  brute  !  ' 

"  With  that  he  struck  her.  Yes,  he  struck 
her,  and  the  sound  of  that  blow  I  can  hear  yet. 
She  did  not  shriek  or  faint.  She  drew  herself 
up  to  her  fullest  height,  gave  him  a  glance  of 
scorn  and  disdain  and  walked  into  the  house 
without  a  word.  Sir  Charles  caught  sight  of 
me  and  knowing  that  I  must  have  witnessed 
his  brutality  he  looked  terrified  and  ashamed. 
He  could  infhct  the  cruelest  of  wrongs  upon 
his  wife  without  the  least  compunction,  but  to 
strike  her  was  vulgar  and  he  felt  ashamed  of 
it. 

"  In  a  few  minutes  there  was  another  com- 
motion. Edward  Willoughby  thrust  aside  the 
footman  at  the  door  and  entered  the  house 
calling  aloud  for  Sir  Charles  Cranburne.  Sir 
Charles  appeared,  calm  and  placid,  and  said  in 
a  composed  voice : 

"  '  Edward  Willoughby,  if  you  do  not  in- 
stantly retire  I  shall  order  you  to  be  expelled.' 

"  '  See  here,  Sir  Charles,'  thundered  the  im- 
petuous intruder,  following  him  into  the  library, 


Helen's  Narrative. 


<&>3 


'  I  expect  you  have  got  something  lo  say  about 
my  conduct,  and  I  have  to  give  you  the  pleas- 
ure of  saying  it   in  my  presence.' 

*"  I  have  nothing  to  say,'  blandly  continued 
Sir  Charles  ;  '  as  I  happen  to  be  connected  with 
the  family  I  suppose  1  must  share  the  disgrace. 
In  my  unfortunate  position  it  becomes  me  to 
hold  my  tongue.' 

"  '  Oh  !  come  now.  Sir  Charles.  It  is  very 
fine  to  hear  an  old  played-out  roue  talking 
about  disgrace.  It  is  hard  spoiling  rotten 
eggs !  • 

"  '  Of  course,  Willoughby,'  said  the  unruffled 
baronet, '  a  gentleman  may  be  allowed  his  privi- 
leges so  long  as  he  takes  his  pleasures  dis- 
creetly. But  to  stir  up  a  dirty  scandal  among 
your  own  folks,  to  set  tongues  wagging  over 
all  England  and  half  the  continent — It  is  an 
ill  bird  that  fouls  its  own  nest.' 

"Just  then  the  library  door  closed  and  I 
could  not  Catch  the  conversation,  though  it  was 
loud  and  long.  By  and  by  the  door  opened 
and  again  the  voice  of  Willoughby  was  heard 
saying  : 

"  *  I  have  been  all  my  life  the  victim  of  in- 
justice that  perhaps  he  is  not  responsible  for. 
But  when  he  practises  the  most  dishonorable 
treachery  to  rob  me  of  the  woman  I  love  I 
feel  that  the  time  had  come  for  action.  And 
my  action  will  astonish  a  great  many,  I 
fancy.' 

**  '  I  must  express  my  regret  that  you  did  not 
take    action   a  little   earlier.      An    elopement 


62  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

would  have  been  romantic.  But  you  are  run- 
ning off  with  another  man's  wife.* 

"'Why was  this  marriage  consummated  in 
such  a  stealthy  manner,  taking  advantage  of 
my  absence  so  that  I  had  no  knowledge  of 
the  event  ?  ' 

"  '  Well,  you  must  know,  Willoughby,  that 
you  are  not  a  desirable  match  and  your  atten- 
tions were  not  approved  by  Squire  Fanshaw. 
He  took  the  first  opportunity  to  secure  the 
interests  of  his  family.' 

"  '  Who  was  it  that  forged  letters  to  convince 
poor  Alice  that  I  was  pledged  to  another 
woman  before  she  would  consent  to  this  wed- 
ding? It  is  this  that  passes  for  honor  among 
you  men  of  rank,* 

"  I  then  went  to  my  lady.  Her  face  was 
bruised  and  swollen.  She  gave  no  explanation 
and  I  asked  no  questions.  They  were  never 
reconciled.  In  public  they  were  coldly  polite, 
in  private  they  were  apart.  She  never  re- 
covered from  the  shock  of  her  sister's  disgrace. 
All  the  time  I  was  with  her  she  never  smiled 
again.  Sir  Harold  Willoughby  took  with  him 
a  favorite  servant  and  left  the  country. 
Several  years  after,  the  servant  reappeared 
and  said  that  he  had  been  living  with  Sir  Har- 
old in  an  obscure  region  in  America  and  that 
his  master  had  recently  died. 

"  Edward  and  Lady  Willoughby  sailed  from  a 
northern  port  for  Norway  and  also  vanished, 
I  heard  no  more  about  them  until  about  two 
years  later.     I  found  my  lady  one  day  in  great 


Helen's  Narrative.  63 

agitation.  She  called  me  aside  and  astounded 
me  with  the  following  information  and  request. 

"  *  Helen,'  said  she, '  I  have  just  heard  that  my 
only  sister  is  dying.  Our  poor  little  Alice  ! 
Helen,  you  loved  her.  She  is  dying  among 
strangers  in  a  foreign  land.  There  are  none  of 
her  friends  whom  she  could  send  for.  Helen, 
you  are  the  only  one  who  could  go,  you  alone 
would  be  of  any  comfort  to  her,  you  must  go.' 

"  It  seemed  to  be  the  only  thing  I  could  do 
to  serve  this  unhappy  family,  so  I  consented. 
Once  more  I  went  abroad,  this  time  to  Stock- 
holm in  Sweden.  There  I  found  her  and  I  saw 
at  a  glance  that  I  would  not  have  long  to  stay. 
Lady  Willoughby  was  dying.  I  verily  believe 
that  she  was  dying  of  a  broken  heart.  Oh  !  it 
did  seem  so  hard.  I  suppose  her  conduct  was 
wrong,  but  I  can't  help  thinking  that  she  was 
less  to  blame  than  those  who  had  forced  her 
into  a  loveless  marriage.  Oh !  the  pride  of 
these  aristocrats.  If  people  only  knew  of  their 
hard,  joyless,  loveless  lives  no  one  would  envy 
them. 

"  Edward  Willoughby  was  changed.  The 
wine  of  his  generous  nature  had  been  turned 
to  vinegar.  Knowing,  as  he  had  good  reason 
to  know,  the  moral  latitude  that  is  allowed  a 
man  of  rank  so  long  as  he  does  not  sin  against 
the  traditions  of  his  class,  he  resented  the 
.stigma  that  was  put  upon  them.  He  always 
insisted  that  as  Alice  had  been  pledged  to  him 
and  had  been  entrapped  by  deception  into 
marrying  another,  they  had  a  right  to  consider 


64  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

that  marriage  null.  Nevertheless,  every  door 
in  England  was  closed  against  them,  while  men 
whom  he  knew  to  be  steeped  in  impurity  were 
still  held  in  high  favor.  He  insisted  that  he 
had  done  a  good  deed  in  delivering  her  from 
such  a  life  and  had  proved  his  loyalty  by  stand- 
ing by  her  year  after  year.  For  this,  the  best 
deed  of  his  life  as  he  termed  it,  he  was  visited 
with  a  merciless  punishment.  So  he  fumed 
and  chafed  until  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
all  virtue  was  a  folly,  that  the  men  were  wise 
who  took  Machiavel  for  their  prophet  and  the 
Manichean  deity  for  their  god.  His  conduct 
very  soon  began  to  express  this  conclusion, 
which  did  not  make  it  any  the  brighter  for  poor 
Alice.  Bereft  of  all  her  friends  and  doubtful 
of  even  the  love  of  the  man  for  whom  she  had 
sacrificed  so  much,  the  poor  girl  was  sinking 
into  the  grave.  She  was  very  low  when  I 
arrived  and  the  Swedish  nurse  was  worn  out. 
She  knew  me  as  I  entered  the  room  and  stretch- 
ing out  her  arms  she  said  : 

"  '  Oh  !  Helen,  it  was  kind  of  you  to  come  to 
me  so  far.  You  will  stay  with  me  now  and 
teach  me  how  to  die  ?  ' 

*'  I  had  hard  work  to  keep  back  my  tears.  A 
little  later  she  said  : 

"  '  Raise  me,  Helen,  you  are  so  strong  and  so 
gentle.' 

"  I  lifted  her  up  in  my  arms  and  laid  her  head 
upon  my  breast. 

"  '  That  is  better,'  she  murmured,  '  I  can  rest 
now.' 


Helen's  Narrative.  65 

"  I  thought  she  was  sleeping,  but  soon  she 
murmured  : 

"  '  Helen,  are  the  primroses  in  bloom?  ' 

"  '  Yes,  darling.' 

"  '  Helen,  is  the  lark  singing  now?  ' 

"  '  Yes,  darling,' 

"  '  Helen,  is  the  sun  setting  on  the  Dartmore 
hills?' 

"  'Yes,  darling,' 

"  Presently  she  cried  out  with  a  wailing  tone  : 

"  '  Oh  !  Helen,  if  I  could  only  go  home  to 
die.     Heaven  is  not  so  far  from  Devonshire.' 

"So  she  rambled  on  full  of  the  memories  of 
home  and  childhood.  And  is  it  not  true  that 
Heaven  seems  farther  off  as  we  grow  older? 
During  the  next  day  she  was  quiet  and  easy. 
But  she  became  restless  toward  night  and 
wanted  to  lie  in  miy  arms.  She  seemed  to  be 
troubled  in  her  mind. 

"  *  Helen,'  she  said,  '  do  you  think  I  have 
been  a  dreadful  sinner?  ' 

"  *We  are  all  sinners,'  said  I. 

"  '  I  have  thought 'so  much  about  it.  It  has 
troubled  me  day  and  night.  Helen,  what  else 
could  I  do  ?  ' 

"  I  saw  that  I  had  a  difificult  task.  The  life 
we  had  led  had  scattered  my  religion  to  the 
winds.  I  was  in  no  fit  state  to  minister  to  a 
mind  diseased. 

"  '  Helen,'  she  asked  again,  '  will  you  teach 
me  the  religion  you  learned  in  the  little  chapel 
at  home,  and  the  hymns  you  used  to  sing  about 
the  Sweet  Eden  Shore  ?  ' 

5 


66  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

"  My  tears  were  falling  fast,  and  before  I 
knew  it  I  was  praying  and  the  poor  girl  joined 
in. 

"' Thank  you,  Helen.  Now  could  you  sing 
to  me  ?  ' 

"  It  was  difficult  at  first,  but  a  calmness  came 
over  me  and  I  sang  about  the  far-away  home 
of  the  soul.  She  listened  in  silence  and  then 
asked  : 

"  '  Is  it  so  far  away,  Helen  ? ' 

"  I  could  make  no  reply,  and  so  she  con- 
tinued : 

" '  My  mother  is  there,  Helen,  my  mother 
whom  I  have  never  known.  But  I  have  often 
dreamed  about  her.  Not  so  very  far  away. 
Helen,  will  you  stay  with  me  ?' 

"  '  Yes,  darling.' 

"  '  It  will  be  a  dreadful  moment  when  I  am 
parted  from  you.     Who  else  can  help  me  then  ?  ' 

"  *  The  Saviour,  Jesus,'  I  whispered. 

'"Oh!    Helen,  can  I  meet  Him?' 

"  She  lay  in  silence  and  I  sang  gently,  *  Just 
as  I  am,  without  one  plea.'  I  sang  it  through 
to  the  end  and  then  she  looked  up  with  a  smile, 
the  first  I  had  seen  on  her  face,  and  said  : 

"  '  Thank  you,  Helen,  I  will  go  to  Him,  I  have 
no  fear  now.' 

"  As  I  looked  through  the  window  of  that 
Swedish  house  I  heard  the  lark  singing  his  eve- 
ning song  above  the  green  fields  of  Devon. 
The  primroses  were  shedding  their  evening  in- 
cense and  the  sun  was  going  down  on  the  Dart- 
moor  hills.     In    the   glory   of  that   sunset    I 


Helen's  Narrative.  67 

seemed  to  see  the  light  of  a  land  that  is  very 
far  off.  Yet  not  so  very  far  off,  for  as  I  turned 
to  my  patient  she  was  so  very  still  that  I  bent 
over  her  and  found  that  the  end  had  come." 

The  speaker  paused  with  bowed  head  for  a 
few  moments.  Then  recovering  herself  by  a 
great  effort,  she  resumed  her  story. 

'*  I  returned  to  Lady  Cranburne,  but  she  was 
not  in  the  house.  The  servants  could  give  me 
no  information.  I  sought  an  interview  with 
Sir  Charles,  and  he  told  me  coolly  that  Lady 
Cranburne  had  no  further  need  of  my  services. 
Thus  ended  mv  experiences  of  high  life.  I 
was  glad  enough  to  return  to  the  old  farm  and 
resume  the  honest,  wholesome  labor  of  milking 
cows  and  making  butter.  Then  commenced 
the  troubles  that  finally  led  to  our  coming  to 
Canada.  Old  Squire  Fanshaw  died  and  his 
surviving  daughter  succeeded  to  the  estate. 
So  Sir  Charles  Cranburne  became  our  landlord 
and  our  tenure  of  Moorfields  became  precar- 
ious. He  seemed  to  be  envenomed  against 
any  one  who  had  ever  befriended  his  unhappy 
wife.  The  tyranny  that  we  were  subjected  to 
finally  drove  us  to  relinquish  the  land  that  had 
been  tilled  by  our  ancestors  for  many  gener- 
ations ;  such  is  the  power  of  the  English  land- 
lords. 

"  But  there  is  another  reason.  I  dread  to 
speak  of  it,  but  it  is  necessary  to  do  so.  In 
the  meantime  the  servant  who  had  accompanied 
Sir  Harold  Willoughby  into  exile  suddenly 
returned.     He  stated  that  he  had  lived  several 


68  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

years  with  Sir  Harold  in  an  obscure  locality 
in  America,  and  that  Sir  Harold  had  recently 
died.  The  fact  of  his  death  being  properly 
certified,  Edward  at  once  succeeded  to  the 
title  and  estate.  Immediately  every  door  in 
England  was  thrown  open  to  him.  He  could 
enter  where  he  would.  But  he  settled  down  and 
lived  very  quietly  at  home.  He  made  us  a 
visit  and  spent  some  time  in  the  neighborhood. 
He  claimed  my  friendship  for  the  memory  of 
his  poor  Alice.  Perhaps  I  gave  him  too  much 
encouragement,  for  his  attentions  soon  became 
so  marked  as  to  excite  comment.  It  may  be 
that  his  intentions  were  honorable.  But  in 
England  it  is  hard  to  believe,  that  there  can  be 
any  honorable  relation  between  a  baronet  and  a 
farmer's  daughter.  So.  we  left  old  England  and 
hoped  we  had  left  these  troubles  behind  us. 
But  within  the  last  few  days  one  of  them  has 
loomed  up  again.  Sir  Edward  is  here.  The 
sincerity  of  his  motives  may  be  judged  when 
already  he  has  practised  deception  upon  me. 
He  told  me  that  our  meeting  was  accidental, 
and  I  learn  from  you  that  he  has  been  seeking 
me  for  some  time.  He  must  either  have  ob- 
tained our  address  from  our  friends  or  else  he 
traced  us  by  inquiring  at  the  Emigration  of^ce. 
"  Now,  Dr.  Thompson,  I  don't  know  why  I 
should  have  told  you  all  this.  But  I  was  in 
trouble,  and  you  have  been  such  a  good  friend 
to  us,  I  wanted  you  to  hear  these  things 
from  me  before  you  heard  any  of  them  from 
any  one  else." 


Return  of  the  "Owl."  69 


CHAPTER  VII. 

RETURN   OF   THE  "  OWL." 

Sir  Edward  Willoughby  was  a  man  who 
had  been  ruined  by  the  traditions  of  his  class. 
There  can  scarcely  be  a  more  embarrassing 
position  than  that  of  a  younger  son  of  an 
English  aristocrat  who  occupies  a  strictly 
entailed  estate.  He  is  born  and  trained  to  all 
the  prejudices  of  wealth  and  rank  without  the 
means  of  maintaining  them.  Many  of  the 
ideas  by  which  he  is  dominated  are  extremely 
absurd  and  add  to  the  difficulties. 

While  the  father  lives,  he  can  watch  over 
the  interests  of  his  younger  sons  and  fit  them 
for  some  profession,  or  for  some  useful  career 
in  the  service  of  the  country.  But  the  young 
Willoughbys  were  left  at  an  early  age  without 
'parental  guidance.  Edward  had  nothing  to 
do  but  to  live  as  he  chose  upon  the  allowance 
that  was  paid  him  from  the  estate.  He  became 
the  prey  of  evil  passions  and  evil  companions 
and  we  have  seen  the  result.  Just  as  this 
result  was  consummated  he  was  suddenly 
endowed  with  rank  and  wealth.  He  was  now 
free  to  indulge  himself  in  that  supreme  selfish- 
ness   which    he    had  just    concluded    was    the 


70  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

highest  wisdom.  There  was  just  one  good 
influence  remaining.  The  appearance  of  Miss 
Raleigh  in  Sweden,  with  her  fresh  EngHsh 
beauty,  and  strong  intelligence,  had  aroused 
in  his  sated  nature  a  new  interest.  He  sought 
her  out  in  Devonshire.  He  persuaded  him- 
self and  half  persuaded  her  that  her  influence 
alone  stood  between  him  and  soul  destruction. 
But  he  was  a  baronet,  and  she  was  a  farmer's 
daughter.  Their  friendship  was  an  illustration 
of  Esop's  fable  of  the  Iron  Pot  and  the  Earthen 
Pot,  one  could  stand  the  contact  and  the  other 
could  not.  So  the  Raleighs  left  the  country 
and  we  know  the  rest.  Sir  Edward  is  here 
and  the  closed  chapter  is  reopened. 

It  might  be  thought,  that  a  love  for  a  pure- 
minded  woman,  strong  enough  to  stimulate  a 
careless  nature  like  his  to  such  a  persevering 
search,  was  a  passion  that  ought  to  exercise  an 
elevating  influence  upon  him.  Perhaps  it  did, 
the  end  will  show.  He  had  learned,  however, 
that  selfishness  was  not  the  highest  motive 
that  animated  men. 

In  the  course  of  his  rambles  about  the 
neighborhood,  he  came  upon  the  house  on  the 
other  side  of  the  ridge  which  was  mentioned  in 
the  first  chapter.  The  poor  woman  was  very 
loquacious,  and  without  much  trouble  he  drew 
from  her  a  great  deal  of  information  about  the 
settlement  and  its  inhabitants.  Her  favorite 
theme  was  Dr.  Thompson,  his  goodness  and  self- 
denial.  Sir  Edward  learned  that  the  Doctor 
had  taken  up  this  toilsome  lot  that  he  might 


Return  of  the  "  Owl."  71 

somehow    serve  liis   fellow-men.      He    learned 
of  services  that  were  given  for  nothing,  of  toil- 
some journeys  in  all  weathers,  of  kindness  and 
patience  that  won  all  hearts.     As  an  example 
of  Christian   devotion  it   was  the   first    that  he 
had  ever  met  with,  and    it  impressed  him   ex- 
ceedingly.    At   one   time   he   would    have   ex- 
pected that  such  a  man  would  be  set  down  as 
a  fool,  and  universally  imposed  upon.     But  he 
heard    of    the     gratitude    which    the    Doctor's 
character  inspired.      He  heard  tlmt    his  neigh- 
bors came   readily  to  his  help   in   return  ;  how 
they  had  built  his  house,  and  cleared  his  fields. 
He  heard  of  the  influence  which  the  Doctor's 
example  had  over  others,  in  teaching  them  to 
help  one  another  and  bear  one  another's  bur- 
dens.    The  poor  woman  shed  tears  of  gratitude 
as  she  related  how,  under  the  Doctor's  guidance, 
the  neighbors  had  come  to  their  help  until  they 
were  more  comfortable  than  they  had  been  for 
years.     Much  more  he  learned,  and  he  returned 
to  the  camp  with  strange  thoughts  in  his  mind. 
The  next  Sabbath,  as   the  people  assembled 
for  worship,  three  strangers  appeared  who  were 
none     other    than    Willoughby,     Somers     and 
Rogers.  Caesar  being  left  in  charge  of  the  camp. 
The  weather  was  fine  and  an  unusually  large 
conereg-ation    assembled.       No    room     in    the 
house  would  accommodate  them  so  the  service 
was  held  in  the  unfinished  barn.     The  company 
represented  all  ages  and  several  nations.     The 
twenty-five  families  that  comprised  the  settle- 
ment  of   Mark  were  all   present.     Those  who 


72  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

know  anything  of  life  in  the  new  clearings  will 
understand  what  a  boon  this  hour  of  worship 
was  to  people  who  had  nothing  else  to  lift 
their  thoughts  above  the  dreary  round  of  toil 
that  filled  their  lives.  They  will  understand, 
also,  that  among  people  who  were  so  united  a 
very  different  moral  and  social  state  existed 
than  where  there  was  no  such  tie.  Remember- 
ing that  these  people  came  from  five  miles 
around,  and  that  they  seldom  met  on  any  other 
occasion,  one  can  imagine  what  a  means  of 
refreshing  and  encouragement  it  was. 

The  settlers  of  Canada  are,  as  a  rule,  a  moral 
and  orderly  class  of  people,  and  generally  re- 
ligiously disposed.  The  writer  can  testify  to 
efforts  to  worship  God  and  maintain  the  sanc- 
tity of  the  Sabbath  that  were  pathetic  in  their 
simplicity.  Sir  Edward,  as  a  man  of  intel- 
ligence, was  prepared  to  overlook  anything  that 
might  appear  to  him  discordant  and  perhaps 
incongrous  in  this  rustic  attempt  at  worship. 
It  was  years  since  he  had  attended  public  wor- 
ship. His  religious  experiences  were  limited 
to  his  memories  of  the  formal  and  cultured 
services  of  the  established  church.  Anything 
like  the  present  he  had  never  witnessed.  He 
was  not  an  infidel.  He  could  scarcely  have 
defined  his  theological  position.  Religion  he 
approved  as  an  excellent  device  for  keeping  the 
lower  orders  in  subjection.  Of  course  the 
upper  classes  were  also  religious,  after  a  fashion. 
But  that  was  simply  because  it  was  well  for 
them  to  lead  in  so  desirable  a  custom.     Prayer 


Return  of  the  "  Owl."  73 

was  an  excellent  thing  to  be  taught  to  the  peas- 
antry if  it  be  in  harmony  with  the  formula — 
"  God  bless  the  Squire  and  his  relations  and 
keep  us  in  our  proper  stations." 

Sir  Edward's  notions  were  being  rudely 
shaken,  and  even  before  the  service  commenced, 
he  was  impressed.  Here  were  neither  Squire 
nor  Parson  to  be  conciliated.  No  favors  were 
to  be  gained  by  a  show  of  piety.  Yet  these 
people  so  highly  prized  the  privilege  of  wor- 
ship that  after  a  weary  week  they  journeyed 
to  the  place  of  prayer  on  buckboards,  in  canoes, 
and  some  on  foot  with  children  on  their 
backs. 

The  service  proceeded.  The  singing  was 
hearty,  and  if  it  were  not  quite  harmonious  it 
did  not  matter  so  much  when  it  poured  through 
the  timbers  of  an  unfinished  barn  and  min- 
gled with  the  song  of  the  birds  and  the  rustling 
of  the  leaves.  During  the  prayer  Sir  Edward's 
eyes  were  on  the  trees  through  the  interlacing 
branches  of  which  the  blue  sky  was  gleaming. 
There  came  into  his  mind  the  words  : 

"  Father,  thy  hand  hath  reared  these  ven- 
erable columns.  Thou  didst  weave  this  ver- 
dant roof — " 

Then  suddenly,  returning  to  a  sense  of  his 
position,  a  thrill  went  through  him  at  the 
thought  of  a  man  addressing  the  High  and 
Mighty  One.  The  sermon  was  certainly  not 
a  polished  production  ;  it  would  not  have 
secured  the  s[)eaker  a  call  to  a  city  church. 
It    vyas   not    even    Ipgical,   an  a?ute   reasoner 


74  The  Lady  of  Mark, 

could  easily  have  demolished  many  of  its  pro- 
positions. The  power  of  the  speaker's  utter- 
ances lay  in  the  character  that  illustrated  them. 
Sir  Edward  felt  that  power.  All  the  restless 
passions,  the  vague  yearnings  and  the  unusual 
thoughts  that  had  been  agitating  his  mind 
had  prepared  him  for  the  conviction  that  the 
real,  the  true,  the  noble  life,  was  the  life  of 
self-denial.  His  Manichean  creed  was  shat- 
tered at  a  blow.  He  had  endeavored  to  live 
consistently  with  it.  He  had  used  the  re- 
sources of  his  estate  for  pleasure.  He  had 
surrounded  himself  with  gay  companions  and 
had  traversed  the  earth  in  search  of  pleasure. 
All  moral  restrictions  he  had  ignored,  if  they 
stood  between  him  and  his  desires.  The  world 
had  nothing  in  the  shape  of  pleasure  that  he 
had  not  tasted.  And  now  he  had  to  confess 
that  he  had  never  known  what  real  happiness 
was.  The  honors  of  his  rank  and  station  began 
to  appear  very  paltry.  What  were  the  hypo- 
critical attentions  of  his  friends  compared  with 
the  devotion  of  these  people  for  Dr.  Thomp- 
son ?  As  he  studied  the  collection  of  faces 
where  he  thought  he  could  trace  the  working 
of  an  elevating  power,  he  thought  of  the  ten- 
ants whom  he  had  left  to  be  oppressed  and 
tormented  by  heartless  agents.  He  thought 
of  the  squalid  agricultural  villages  swarming 
with  a  besotted  population  whose  only  inspi- 
ration was  the  beer-shop  and  whose  only 
divcrson  was  the  drunken  brawl.  Some  un- 
familiar  emotions   were   stirring    within   him. 


Return  of  the  "  Owl."  75 

He  had  come  to  that  awful  moment  when  a 
man  for  the  first  time  finds  his  soul.  He  saw 
very  plainly  a  field  of  duty  which  he  had  most 
basely  and  cowardly  deserted.  It  is  a  great 
experience  when  a  man  falls  from  a  lofty 
pedestal  of  self-esteem.  He  sat  with  his  head 
bowed  and  every  sentence,  however  irrelevant, 
seemed  only  to  increase  his  self-condemnation, 
The  service  was  concluded,  and  amid  the  hand- 
shaking and  the  chatter  that  followed  Somers 
remarked  in  his  usual  airy  manner : 

"  Pwetty  good  specimen  of  an  abowiginal 
meeting." 

The  look  which  Sir  Edward  gave  him  did 
not  encourage  his  trifling. 

Sir  Edward  then  sought  an  interview  with 
Dr.  Thompson,  and  drew  him  aside  for  the 
purpose.  He  did  not  know  what  he  u^anted 
to  say.  But  he  was  in  that  mood  in  which  a 
man  feels  the  need  of  advice,  and  because  the 
longing  which  we  cannot  express  is  not  per- 
ceived and  responded  to  by  the  Christians 
around  us,  we  sometimes  unreasonably  ex- 
claim "  No  one  careth  for  my  soul."  As  soon 
as  he  felt  his  embarrassment  his  pride  revived 
and  he  said  : 

"  I  merely  wished  to  express  my  pleasure 
with  this  little  service.  It  is  very  kind  of  you 
to  take  such  an  interest  in  these  people." 

Dr.  Thompson  replied  : 

"  Every  man  is  accountable  for  doing  what 
he  can." 

"  Yes,  yes,  just  so,  to  be  sure,"  said  Sir  Ed- 


76  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

ward  nervously.  "  And  for  people  in  their 
condition  I  consider  it  the  very  thing." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  their  condition  ?  " 
asked   Dr.  Thompson. 

"  Why,  I  mean,  of  course,  the  working  class. 
They  have  so  little  pleasure,  poor  things,  that 
if  religion  is  of  any  comfort  to  them  why,  by 
all  means  let  them  have  it." 

"  What  other  class  is  there  beside  the  work- 
ing class?"  asked  Dr.  Thompson  with  some 
sternness  in  his  tone. 

"  Oh  !  come  now,  Doctor,  don't  you  know, 
there  is  the  upper  class — or — the  er — that  is 
to  say,  the  ornamental  class,  so  to  speak." 

He  was  ashamed  of  his  own  words  as  he 
thought  of  the  "  Owl  "  and  her  company,  and 
Dr.  Thompson's  silence  added  to  his  embarrass- 
ment. In  fact  Sir  Edward  was  in  an  uncomfort- 
able state  of  mind.  Dr.  Thompson  was  aware 
of  this  and  thought  it  well  to  leave  him  there 
for  a  while. 

In  the  evening  of  that  day  Dr.  Thompson 
and  Mr.  Raleigh  were  visiting  a  sick  neighbor 
who  lived  several  miles  down  the  lake.  As 
they  were  returning  after  dark  they  found  a 
yacht  moored  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek. 
There  was  an  unusual  blaze  at  the  camp  and 
a  great  deal  of  laugliter  and  loud  voices.  The 
"Owl"  had  returned  and  the  whole  company 
were  spending  the  evening  ashore.  There 
were  about  a  dozen  persons  in  all,  including 
two  hired  men.  Several  were  from  England, 
Sir  Edward's   friends  of    the    racecourse   and 


Return  of  the  "  Owl."  77 

the  club  house,  just  the  kind  of  characters  to 
gather  around  a  fast  man  with  plenty  of  money. 
Others  were  Canadians,  scions  of  that  imita- 
tion aristocracy  that  is  striving  to  get  itself 
recognized  in  this  country  ;  all  of  them  sprigs 
of  the  "  ornamental  class."  The  "  Owl  "  was  a 
handsome,  well-appointed  yacht  fitted  with 
every  comfort  and  stored  with  every  luxury. 
For  several  weeks  she  had  been  cruising  about 
the  upper  lakes.  The  freak  of  Sir  Edward  in 
deserting  them  had  given  great  dissatisfaction 
to  the  company  and  they  had  attempted  to 
punish  him  by  staying  away  longer  than 
agreed  upon.  Now  that  they  are  reunited  they 
have  landed  a  quantity  of  choice  provisions, 
not  omitting  champagne  and  cigars,  and  are 
celebrating  the  event  with  a  regular  "  jam- 
boree." 

By  sundown  several  of  them  were  intoxi- 
cated, but  by  the  light  of  the  fire  the  wild 
carnival  was  continued.  The  roaring  of  ribald 
songs  and  bursts  of  soulless  laughter  broke 
the  silence  of  the  forest  and  dishonored  the 
Sabbath. 

Just  beyond  the  circle  of  the  firelight  our 
two  friends  halted  the  canoe,  and  after  listen- 
ing for  a  minute  to  the  sounds  of  revelry  they 
landed  and  stole  up  near  enough  to  get  a  view 
of  the  proceedings.  The  empty  bottles, 
broken  tumblers,  and  a  litter  of  playing  cards 
which  strewed  the  ground,  bore  evidence  to 
the  character  of  the  exercises. 

Two  were  helplessly  drunk,  several  others 


78  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

were  far  advanced.  Three  in  a  group  were 
having  a  merry  time  chanting  the  requiem  of 
the  negro  who  had  no  wool  on  the  top  of  his 
head.  A  lantern  was  standing  on  a  box  by 
the  Hght  of  whicli  several  were  playing  cards. 
Stakes  of  money  were  passing  between  them. 
There  were  only  two  men  who  appeared  to  be 
entirely  sober.  These,  from  their  continued 
success  at  gambling  and  the  meaning  glance 
and  expressive  winks  which  they  exchanged, 
were  evidently  turning  their  sobriety  to  good 
account.  They  were  the  kind  of  English  aris- 
tocrats (?)  who  occasionally  make  such  havoc 
with  gullible  Canadian  tuft-hunters. 

The  two  watchers  crouched  among  the  juni- 
per bushes  and  surveyed  the  scene  for  several 
minutes  without  speaking. 

"  That  is  a  strange  meeting  for  Sunday  eve- 
ning," said  Dr.  Thompson,  at  length. 

"  Three  of  those  men  were  at  our  meeting 
this  morning,"  said  Raleigh. 

"  I  am  disappointed  in  Sir  Edward,"  said 
Dr.  Thompson  ;  "  I  thought  this  morning  that 
he  seemed  disposed  to  reverence  the  Sabbath." 

"  That  yacht  coming  back  has  turned  him 
off  again,"  said  Raleigh. 

"He  seems  to  be  the  leader  of  this  party," 
said  Dr.  Thompson  ;  "  he  will  need  a  large  in- 
come to  keep  this  up." 

"  Dr.  Thompson,"  said  Raleigh,  with  some 
bitterness  in  his  tone,  "  that  money  he  is 
squandering  in  that  way  is  ground  out  of  his 
miserable  tenants.     His  estate  is  a  disgrace  to 


Return  of  the  "  Owl."  79 

humanity.  I  would  as  soon  take  my  chance 
on  a  slave  plantation  as  live  the  life  of  the  Pas- 
more  peasantry.  Yon's  an  English  landlord 
for  you." 

"  Surely  they  are  not  all  like  that,"  said  the 
Doctor. 

"  No,  they  are  not.  Old  Squire  Fanshaw 
was  different.  He  lived  on  the  estate  and  we 
saw  him  every  day.  He  was  a  kind  man  and 
took  an  interest  in  his  tenants.  My  fathers 
have  served  the  Fanshaws  for  many  genera- 
tions and  we  would  continue  to  do  so  if  things 
were  the  same.  But  when  Sir  Charles  Cran- 
burne  took  the  estate  everything  was  changed. 
The  hall  was  occupied  by  an  agent  and  the 
rents  were  screwed  up.  Sir  Charles  lived  much 
on  the  continent,  and  the  money  we  sweated 
for  went  like  water.  That  man  is  just  such 
another.  This  is  cheap  sport  for  him.  Put 
him  down  among  the  casinoes  of  Baden  Baden 
or  Monte  Carlo  and  the  price  of  a  good  farm 
would  go  in  a  night.  No,  they  are  not  all 
alike.  There  are  many  like  the  old  Squire. 
But  there  are  a  great  many  like  that  man 
there." 

The  watchers  then  withdrew  to  their  canoe 
and  left  the  scene. 


8o  The  Lady  of  Mark. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  EARTH  IS  THE  LANDLORD'S  AND  THE 
FULNESS  THEREOF. 

Dr.  Thompson  was  aroused  the  next  morn- 
ing by  the  familiar  sound  of  the  ax  and  found 
that  black  Caesar  had  returned  and  had  re- 
sumed his  duties. 

"  Well,  Caesar,  have  you  finished  at  the 
camp  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sah.  I  done  wid  dat  crowd  an'  Ise 
mighty  glad." 

"  How  did  you  get  along?" 

"  Farly  well.  I  catch  um  trout  an'  cook  um 
wittles  an'  git  along  till  yes'day  'bout  noon. 
'Long  'bout  sundown  yer  come  dis  yer  sail- 
boat wid  a  gang  er  rowdies,  'an  after  dat  I  ain 
git  no  peace  so  I  clar  out  at  daylight.  Dey's 
a  bad  lot.'' 

"All  of  them,  Caesar?" 

"  Dat  dar  Willerby  chap  ain'  a  bad  lot. 
Wharfo  he  wanter  go  'bout  wid  a  boat-load  er 
liquor  and  a  mob  er  toughs.  Dey's  all  Produ- 
gal  sons.  I  doan  feed  um  no  mo  'out  I  feed 
um  pig's  wittles." 

Caesar  did  not  explain  that  he  had  decamped 
without  his  dimmittis.  That  came  out  later  in 
the  day  when  Sir  Edward  appeared.     The  bar- 


The  Earth  is  the  Landlord's.       8i 

onet  interviewed  Caesar,  whom  he  endeavored 
to  persuade  to  return  to  the  camp.     Caesar  was 
obdurate  and  settled  the  matter  by  declaring: 
"  The  Lord  ain'  made  me  ter  wait  on  no  sich 

The  idea  that  Sir  Edward  Willoughby's 
friends  were  not  good  company  for  a  negro 
was  so  entertaining  that  the  baronet  could  afford 
to  take  it  good-humoredly.  He  then  applied 
himself  to  the  Doctor.  Dr.  Thompson's  reply 
was  made  in  quiet  but  determined  tones: 

"  Sir  Edward  Willoughby,  I  would  not  send 
a  dog  to  that  camp  of  yours." 

We  must  allow  the  Doctor  to  judge  what 
was  the  best  thing  to  say  at  such  a  time.  And 
to  properly  estimate  Sir  Edward's  conduct  we 
must  make  several  considerations.  He  had 
been  living  for  several  weeks  an  irregular  and 
unaccustomed  mode  of  life  urged  on  by  an  ab- 
sorbing passion  to  the  endurance  of  great  hard- 
ships and  privations.  He  had,  moreover,  for 
many  hours,  been  the  subject  of  emotions  of  a 
very  exhausting  character.  To  crown  all  he 
had  attempted  to  drown  his  soul  in  liquor  and 
had  well  nigh  succeeded.  He  was  in  the  flabby, 
nerveless  condition  that  follows  a  drinking 
bout.  The  unexpected  words  of  Doctor 
Thompson  acted  upon  his  jaded  system  like 
fire  upon  gunpowder.  His  habitual  self-com- 
mand was  gone.      He  replied  with  an  oath. 

Silence  followed  this  outburst,  and  then  Dr. 
Thompson  said  gently: 

"  Sir  Edward,  you  are  not  well." 
6 


82  The  Lady  of  Mark. 


This  brought  the  baronet  to  his  senses.  He 
was  ashamed  of  himself  and  was  glad  to  take 
refuge  under  the  Doctor's  suggestion.  His 
overtaxed  nerves  gave  way.  He  laughed  hys- 
terically, moved  with  tottering  steps  and  sank 
down  helplessly  upon  a  log.  An  examination 
showed  that  he  was  in  a  state  of  nervous  fever. 
He  was  assisted  to  the  house  and  put  to  bed. 
Caesar  was  sent  to  the  camp  with  word  that  Sir 
Edward  was  unwell  and  would  remain  under 
the  Doctor's  care.  So  Sir  Edward  became  Dr. 
Thompson's  guest.  In  the  meantime,  pande- 
monium reigned  at  the  Point.  Of  the  whole 
soulless  crew,  Somers  was  the  only  one  to  come 
over  to  see  if  the  sick  man  needed  any  atten- 
tion. And  Somers  was  forthwith  installed  as 
nurse.  As  the  only  way  to  keep  peace  in  the 
neighborhood  was  by  keeping  the  visitors  em- 
ployed, Cassar  consented  to  find  them  some 
sport.  As  soon  as  the  liquor  gave  out  they 
turned  with  great  gusto  to  sporting.  The  as- 
tute Cssar  led  them  to  remote  haunts  of  trout 
and  bass,  so  the  settlement  of  Mark  was  spared 
the  contaminating  influence  of  an  "  ornamental 
class." 

A  few  days  of  rest  and  quiet  restored  Sir 
Edward  in  body  and  mind,  and  during  those 
days  he  and  the  Doctor  were  drawn  very 
closely  together.  He  had  acquired  an  un- 
bounded respect  for  Dr.  Thompson,  who,  it 
may  be  said,  was  the  first  man  he  had  ever  had 
occasion  to  respect.  He  admitted  that  he  had 
on  Sunday  drank  more  than  was  good  for  him, 


The  Earth  is  the  Landlord's.      83 

being  led  to  do  so  by  the  thoughts  that  troubled 
him.  In  fact  he  opened  his  heart  in  confidence 
to  his  new-found  friend  and  entreated  his 
counsel.  To  one  who  had  lived  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  flattery  and  despised  it  all  it  was 
wholesome  and  refreshing  to  be  with  a  man  to 
whom  a  baronet  was  no  more  than  the  poorest 
settler.  He  had  breathed  falsehood  from  his 
earliest  breath,  and  truth  was  the  air  of  a  purer 
clime.  One  thing  that  drew  him  to  Dr.  Thomp- 
son was  the  conviction  that  he  would  tell  him 
the  truth  without  fear  or  favor.  One  afternoon 
he  remarked  : 

"  I  am  afraid,  Dr.  Thompson,  that  you  have 
a  poor  opinion  of  me." 

"  Leaving  you  personally  out  of  the  question, 
Sir  Edward,  I  confess  that  I  have  a  very  poor 
opinion  of  your  class." 

"  To  what  class  do  you  refer?" 

"  The  landlord  class,  that  is  the  hereditary 
landlords  of  England.  I  cannot  help  thinking 
that  they  have  come  into  possession  of  a  great 
deal  that  they  are  not  entitled  to." 

"  I  don't  understand  you.  Surely  a  father 
may  leave  his  property  to  his  son." 

"  Would  you  mind  telling  me  how  your  fam- 
ily became  possessed  of  their  estate?  " 

"  One  of  my  ancestors,  assisted  in  the  enter- 
prise of  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  afterwards 
Henry  VH.,  and  fought  under  him  at  the  Bat- 
tle of  Bosworth,  for  which  service  he  was 
rewarded  by  a  tract  of  land  in  the  south 
country.     This  land   now  forms  the  estate  of 


84  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

Pasmore  and  has  been  held  by  my  family  ever 
since." 

"  Was  this  land  a  barren,  uninhabited 
waste  ?  " 

"  No,  it  was  cultivated  and  inhabited,  in  fact 
it  contained  several  villages  which  remain  to 
this  day." 

"  Then,  of  course,  the  King  bought  out  the 
original  occupants  before  giving  away  their 
land  ?  " 

"  N — no,  I  hardly  think  so,  that  was  not  the 
custom  of  the  times.     Er — you  see,  every  man 

in  those  times  held  his  land   at  the  will  of  the 

Ki) 
mg. 

"  I  doubt  it.  And,  moreover,  every  King 
who  preached  that  doctrine  got  himself  kicked 
out  of  his  throne.  You  are  thinking  of  France, 
Sir  Edward,  not  England." 

The  baronet  stroked  his  mustache  thought- 
fully and  stared  at  the  Doctor,  expressing  his 
astonishment  with  a  long  whistle. 

"  L'etat  c'est  Moi,  don't  you  know,"  was 
all  he  could  say. 

"  The  Feudal  system  under  which  these 
large  estates  originated,"  continued  the  Doc- 
tor, "  implied  the  control  of  the  inhabitants  as 
well  as  of  the  land.  If  the  Royal  grant  gave 
the  landlord  the  right  to  the  one  it  did  equally 
to  the  other.  The  people  were  his  serfs  just 
as  surely  as  the  land  was  his  property.  The 
first  claim  has  been  abolished  and  it  is  time 
the  other  followed.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
some  of  your  tenants  are  the  descendants  of 


The  Earth  is  the  Landlord's.      85 

those  who  cleared  the  fields  and  won  them 
from  the  bush." 

"Quite  possible;  in  some  instances  it  is 
known  to  be  the  case." 

"  Then  is  not  their  claim  to  the  land  better 
than  vours?  " 

"  Pshaw  !  Plague  take  it,  man,  Dr.  Thomp- 
son, you  have  a  deucedly  uncomfortable  way  of 
putting  things." 

"  You  have  probably  never  seen  it  in  that 
light.  But  transfer  the  process  to  Canada,  im- 
agine any  one  given  authority  to  collect  rents 
from  these  lands  that  we  are  clearing." 

"  Oh  !  well,  Doctor,  make  allowance  for  the 
difference  in  the  times  ;  the  cases  are  not  anal- 
ogous." 

"  No,  they  are  not,  and  that  is  the  point  I 
am  aiming  at.  The  unrighteousness  of  the 
present  situation  was  not  contemplated  from 
the  first.  The  sturdy  peasantry  of  England 
would  never  have  submitted  to  the  present 
system.  They  considered  that  they  owned 
the  soil  that  they  tilled  and  no  man  could  be 
evicted  at  the  caprice  of  his  lord.  Those 
Royal  grants  did  not  imply  the  absolute 
ownership  of  the  soil  as  is  now  claimed.  The 
landlord  no  more  owned  his  estate  than  the 
King  owned  England.  The  Lord  of  the  Manor 
held  the  same  relation  to  his  estate  as  the 
King  held  to  the  country  at  large.  He  was 
the  representative  of  Majesty.  He  was  en- 
trusted with  the  administration  of  law  such  as 
it  was.     He    contributed   to    the  expenses    of 


86  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

government  and  the  national  defense.  To  do 
this  he  was  allowed  to  raise  a  revenue  from  his 
domain.  That  was  all  his  right  amounted  to. 
His  present  claim  is  a  fragmentary  survival 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  Divine  right  of  Kings. 
What  have  become  of  those  duties  and  re- 
sponsibilities that  were  once  attached  to  his 
position  ?  " 

Sir  Edward  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  was 
silent. 

"  I  would  regret  that  my  remarks  should 
cause  you  any  embarrassment,"  continued  the 
Doctor  ;  "  but  you  seem  to  desire  to  hear  the 
truth,  so  I  am  speaking  plainly." 

"  I  am  not  in  the  least  embarrassed,  Dr. 
Thompson.  The  fact  is  I  myself  have  long 
felt  a  contempt  for  my  position  ;  but  I  do  not 
see  how  to  change  it.  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear 
you  without  reserve." 

"  There  was  a  measure  of  justice  about  the 
arrangement  at  first,"  continued  the  Doctor, 
"  or  it  would  not  have  got  itself  foisted  upon 
the  nation.  But  you  see  that  up  to  quite  re- 
cently the  land-owning  class  was  also  the  law- 
making class.  Under  forms  of  law  of  their 
own  making  they  have  got  themselves  released 
of  all  public  responsibilities  respecting  their 
estates  while  their  privileges  have  vastly  in- 
creased. They  have  been  released  from  the 
maintenance  of  the  army,  the  navy,  the  law, 
the  state  and  all  public  expenses.  Whoever 
now  hears  of  an  earl  or  a  duke  being  called 
upon  to  furnish  a   man-of-v/ar,  or  a  lord   of  a 


The  Earth  is  the  Landlord's.      87 

manor  being  required  to  furnish  five  hundred 
men,  '  all  stout  fellows,  well  harnessed,  with  sub- 
stance for  the  maintenance  of  the  same,'  as  in 
the  days  of  Elizabeth  ?  In  those  days  the 
rent  of  the  land  was  available  for  the  public 
service  ;  to-day,  although  it  has  increased  to  a 
fabulous  extent,  it  all  goes  into  private  pockets.'' 

A  long  pause  followed  this  outburst  and  then 
the  Doctor  continued  :  "  In  Scotland  the  in- 
justice is  even  more  apparent.  One  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago  the  northern  part  of  that 
country  was  divided  into  tracts  occupied  by 
the  different  clans  of  the  Highlanders.  After 
the  Jacobite  rebellion,  the  British  government 
attempted  to  secure  the  loyalty  of  the  High- 
land chiefs  by  making  them  dukes,  earls,  etc. 
Now  I  claim  that  the  land  occupied  by  those 
clans  was  the  property  of  the  clans  and  not  of 
the  chiefs.  And  yet  these  chiefs,  on  being 
made  Duke  of  Assynt  and  Rhea,  earl  of  this 
and  marquis  of  that,  immediately  began  to 
treat  their  clansmen  as  tenants  and  their  de- 
scendants have  ever  since  been  collecting  rents 
from  land  that  they  have  no  honest  title  to. 
And  what  is  worse  the  real  owners  of  the  land 
have  been  evicted  in  order  that  his  lordship 
might  have  his  deer  park." 

After  an  interval  of  silence  Sir  Edward  asked : 

"  What  would  you  recommend  to  one  born 
heir  to  a  large  estate  ?  " 

"  It  would  be  difficult  to  advise.  I  am  not 
familiar  with  the  situation  in  England.  What 
do  you  think  about  it  yourself  ?  " 


88  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

"  Well,  Dr.  Thompson,  I  never  before  felt 
such  an  earnest  desire  to  do  right.  I  never 
sought  that  estate,  it  came  to  me  unexpectedly. 
I  have  done  nothing  but  receive  its  revenues 
from  the  hand  of  my  agent.  That  any  one 
would  ever  question  my  right  to  do  so  never 
entered  my  mind." 

"  I  do  not  question  your  right." 

"  Dr.  Thompson,  you  are  very  perplexing." 

"  I  grant  your  right  to  receive  the  revenues 
of  your  estate,  under  the  circumstances.  But 
not  to  spend  them  upon  yourself.  Do  you 
not  think  that  your  inheritance  brought  you 
some  responsibilities  as  well  as  privileges?  " 

"  I  begin  to  think  so  now.  I  have  learned  a 
great  deal  in  the  last  few  days." 

"  How  much  you  could  do  to  improve  the 
condition  of  those  poor  people." 

"  I  have  always  thought  that  it  was  no  one's 
business  but  their  own.  But  I  can  think  so  no 
longer." 

"  It  appears  to  me,"  said  Dr.  Thompson, 
"  that  no  class  of  men  have  greater  opportun- 
ities than  the  British  aristocracy.  A  few  years 
must  determine  whether  they  are  worthy  of 
their  position  or  whether  they  must  go  the 
way  of  all  things  that  are  weighed  in  the 
balance  and  found  wanting.  They  can  only 
retain  their  present  position  by  proving  them- 
selves a  true  nobility.'' 

"  Then  you  do  not  advocate  the  abolition  of 
all  class  distinctions  ?  " 

"  Not  in  England  where  they  already  exist. 


The  Earth  is  the  Landlord's.      89 

But  it  would  be  unfortunate  to  introduce  them 
into  this  country.  But  England  can  only  be 
judged  by  those  who  know  England.  The 
nobility  is  safe  so  long  as  it  does  its  duty. 
Given  a  considerate  and  conscientious  nobility 
you  will  always  have  a  loyal  yeomanry  and  a 
devoted  peasantry." 

"  Then  you  do  not  think  I  should  give  up 
my  estate?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  It  is  a  charge  given  you 
by  Providence  and  you  dare  not  throw  it  away," 

"  But  that  I  should  go  back  and  take  care 
of  it?" 

"  And  do  your  utmost  to  better  the  moral 
and  material  condition  of  your  people.  Re- 
ceive the  revenues  of  your  estate,  develop  its 
resources  as  far  as  possible,  but  do  not  spend 
them  upon  yourself." 

A  long  silence  followed  this  remark. 

"  Once  to  every  man  and  nation  comes  a 
moment  to  decide." 

That  moment  had  come  to  Sir  Edward 
Willoughby.  A  fearful  struggle  was  passing 
in  his  mind.  Presently  he  looked  up  and 
asked  : 

"  Dr.  Thompson,  you  are  the  first  honest 
man  I  ever  met.  Will  you  go  with  me  and 
teach  me  my  duty  ?  " 

"  Sir  Edward,  I  dare  not  ;  that  would  be 
forsaking  my  own  duty." 

Sir  Edward  again  relapsed  into  moody 
silence.  But  the  agitation  of  his  mind  could 
be  plainly  seen  in  his  contenance. 


90  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

"  Dr.  Thompson,  it  may  seem  very  simple  to 
you,  but  you  do  not  know  my  difficulties. 
You  do  not  know  how  I  am  hampered.  I  see 
my  duty  as  plainly  as  I  ever  saw  anything. 
There  is  a  voice  that  tells  me  what  I  ousjht  to 
do.  But  all  my  life,  all  my  character,  all  my 
habits,  all  my  associations  are  against  it." 

"  How  can  a  man  be  born  again  when  he  is 
old  ?  "  said  the  Doctor  quietly. 

"I  should  need  to  be  born  again  before  I 
can  do  what  I  see  to  be  right." 

*'  I  am  old-fashioned  enough  to  believe  that 
the  Spirit  of  God  is  striving  with  you,"  said 
the  Doctor  gently. 

"  That  does  sound  old-fashioned.  But  I 
believe  it.  Oh  !  what  a  time  I  have  had  !  I 
have  been  haunted  for  weeks  by  a  dreadful 
temptation  to  let  everything  drift  and  go  to 
the  Devil." 

"You  will  never  be  happy  again  until  you 
decide  for  the  right.  And  you  will  never  do 
that  until  you  surrender  your  whole  soul  to 
God." 

"  Oh  God  !  I  wish  I  knew  what  that  meant." 
Sir  Edward  was  pacing  the  room  in  great 
agitation. 

"You  are  not  far  from  the  Kingdom,"  said 
Dr.  Thompson.  "  The  hour  is  come.  Let  us 
pray."  . 

They  kneeled  down,  and  in  Heaven  the 
angels  said  "  Behold  he  prayeth."  Not  with 
audible  words  for  he  could  not  speak.  But 
with  sobs  and  tears  and  groanings  of  the  spirit 


The  Earth  is  the  Landlord's.      91 

that  could  not  be  uttered.  It  was  fortunate 
that  he  knew  so  definitely  what  he  wanted. 
He  was  not  seeking  the  salvation  of  his  soul 
or  the  pardon  of  his  sins.  His  was  a  far  nobler 
quest.  It  was  not  for  himself  but  for  others 
that  he  prayed  and  wrestled,  for  the  poor  and 
oppressed  who  had  suddenly  become  so  dear 
to  him.  He  desired  only  the  power  to  do 
ri^ht.  Salvation  comes  to  men  in  different 
ways.  Doing  is  not  a  "deadly  thing."  Doing 
is  healthful  and  strengthening  to  the  soul. 
The  path  of  duty  is  the  way  into  the  Kingdom 
of  God.  Sir  Edward  might  have  been  lectured 
for  hours  on  the  theology  of  Regeneration  or 
Sanctification  to  no  purpose.  But  when  he 
was  led  to  implore  strength  to  obey  the  dic- 
tates of  an  awakened  conscience  although  he 
was  not  aware  of  it  he  was  praying  for  what 
some  people  call  conversion.  And  when  he 
arose  from  his  knees  he  was  numbered  among 
those  who  deny  themselves  and  take  up  their 
cross  that  they  may  follow  Christ. 

"  Well,  my  friend,  is  it  all  settled  ?  "  inquired 
Dr.  Thompson. 

"  Yes,  it  is,"  said  Sir  Edward,  "  I  am  going 
back  to  Pasmore,  and,  God  help  me  !  I  will 
atone  for  these  years  of  selfishness  and  neglect." 

There  was  a  strange  expression  on  his  face  ; 
a  light  that  never  shone  on  land  or  sea.  The 
soul  within  him  had  been  born  of  God,  and, 
although  he  knew  it  not,  he  was  a  new  man  in 
Christ  Jesus. 


92  The  Lady  of  Mark. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

love's  dilemma. 

September  had  come  with  golden  grain  and 
ripening  fruit,  with  glorious  days  of  mellow 
sunlight  so  quiet  and  peaceful  that  in  these 
forest  solitudes  it  seemed  as  though  Nature 
had  finished  work  for  the  season.  The  silk 
was  on  the  corn  and  the  beautiful  haze  of 
autumn  was  gathering  on  the  horizon,  and  the 
drowsy  drone  of  the  tree  locust  was  in  the  air. 

The  Raleighs  had  worked  hard  and  success- 
fully. Most  of  their  planting  promised  well. 
Buckwheat  and  Indian  corn  were  unfamiliar 
crops  to  English  farmers,  but  they  had  both 
in  abundance  and  were  learning  their  value. 
They  had  done  considerable  chopping  and 
would  be  able  next  spring  to  considerably 
enlarge  their  acreage.  They  had  cut  their 
winter's  firewood  and  split  a  quantity  of  fence- 
rails.  The  calf  had  grown  to  a  good-sized 
beast,  Peter's  mare  had  foaled  and  the  colt 
was  doing  well.  They  had  also  secured  a 
couple  of  pigs  and  a  number  of  fowls.  Better 
than  all  every  one  was  in  the  best  of  health  and 
work  was  a  pleasure.  Mother  Raleigh  kept 
house,  Grace  and  Helen  took  their  turn  in  the 
fields.     They    made  their  hay   in  the  Beaver 


Love's  Dilemma.  93 


meadows.  During  the  hay-making  their  din- 
ners were  brought  and  they  held  a  picnic  at 
noon  among  the  hayricks  redolent  of  sweet 
flag  and  pennyroyal.  Mrs.  Raleigh's  equipment 
for  these  excursions  included  a  bludgeon  of 
the  most  ferocious  proportions  which  she 
carried  for  the  entertainment  of  casual  "  war- 
mints."  The  hay  was  stacked  in  the  meadow 
and  left  to  be  brought  home  on  sleighs  in  the 
winter. 

Is  this  picture  too  idyllic  for  the  Canadian 
backwoods? 

Then  I  must  mention  the  intense  heat  of 
those  midsummer  days,  the  utter  weariness 
that  followed  those  long  hours  of  toil.  The 
torment  of  those  pestilent  black  flies  and  mos- 
quitoes. I  must  mention  the  anxiety  of  those 
days  when  Raleigh  was  prostrated  by  heat  and 
over-exertion,  the  terror  of  that  June  morning 
when  little  Rose  came  screaming  home  with 
a  snake  bite  in  her  chubby  leg,  the  alarm  of 
that  night  when  Harry  had  to  be  hunted  for 
with  torches.  It  may  seem  small  matters  to 
mention  that  their  cow  was  lost  and  nearly 
ruined  for  want  of  milking,  that  a  pig  was  killed 
by  a  bear  and  that  half  their  chickens  were 
killed  by  foxes.  Brighten  it  as  you  will  there 
are  many  shadows  in  any  true  picture  of  back- 
woods life. 

On  the  day  when  Sir  Edward  became  the  guest 
of  Dr.  Thompson,  his  condition  was  so  threaten- 
ing that  the  Doctor  walked  over  to  the  Raleighs 
to  inform  them  of  his  case  and  secure  one  of 


94  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

the  women  for  a  nurse  in  case  of  necessity. 
H  e  found  them  working  later  than  usual  getting 
in  their  little  crop  of  oats.  Peter  was  on  the 
load,  Helen  was  pitching  up.  Heavy  work  for 
a  woman,  but  she  was  equal  to  it.  There  were 
other  women  in  Mark  who  were  not  too  dainty 
to  work  in  the  fields.  But  they  appeared  to 
have  lost  a  great  deal  of  their  femininity  ;  they 
were  coarse,  hard-featured,  loud-voiced  and 
slovenly  in  their  attire.  These  English  women 
could  engage  in  the  healthful  exercise  of  the 
harvest  field  without  sacrificing  anything 
womanly.  Helen  wore  a  very  presentable 
gown  with  the  skirt  pinned  up  to  the  waist, 
exposing  a  pair  of  shapely  and  well  booted 
ankles.  Her  sleeves  were  drawn  up  to  the 
elbows,  giving  her  plump  arms  full  benefit  of  sun 
and  air.  A  homemade  straw  hat  with  a  brim 
of  large  dimensions  shaded  her  face.  Her  figure 
was  as  straight  as  a  guardsman's  and  she  tossed 
up  the  sheaves  with  the  ease  of  an  athlete. 
There  are  many  such  women  in  these  days  of 
physical  culture,  but  such  women  were  rare  then. 
The  last  sheaf  was  thrown  on  as  the  Doctor 
approached.  Her  back  was  toward  him  ;  but 
that  she  knew  of  his  presence  he  learned  from 
the  fact  that  she  unpinned  her  skirt  and  drew 
down  her  sleeves  before  turning  round,  also 
from  the  flush  of  pleasure  that  lighted  the 
shadow  of  the  big  sun-hat.  As  Peter  steered 
the  oxen  toward  the  gate  with  vociferous  gee- 
hawing,  the  Doctor  and  Helen  walked  together 
to  the  house.     As  he  told  her  of   .Sir  Edward's 


Love's  Dilemma.  95 

sickness  her  deep  concern  and  eager  questions 
confirmed  him  in  his  behef  that  the  baronet 
had  a  hold  upon  her  affections.  As  it  hap- 
pened, the  sick  man  improved  so  rapidly  that 
a  nurse  was  not  needed,  and  he  and  the  Doctor 
walked  over  each  evening  to  spend  an  hour 
with  the  Raleighs.  One  evening  when  the 
Doctor  was  absent  Sir  Edward  went  alone. 
The  Doctor  took  what  he  supposed  was  a  hint 
and  went  no  more.  So  for  several  evenings 
Sir  Edward  joined  the  Raleighs  at  sundown 
and  sat  with  them  in  conversation,  or  rambled 
about  the  clearing  with  Helen  in  the  twilight. 
Those  were  pleasant  evenings.  When  the 
lingering  light  and  purple  haze  of  the  autumn 
day  mingled  with  the  weird  gleam  of  the  large, 
red  harvest  moon,  they  rambled  through  the 
rustling  corn  and  into  the  moonlighted  and 
shadow-haunted  forest  glades.  And  as  they 
walked  they  recalled  the  thrilling  memories  of 
other  days,  of  scenes  so  different  in  far-off 
lands.  So  many  associations  they  had  in  com- 
mon of  gay  and  brilliant  life  in  the  stately 
capitals  of  Europe,  of  Champs  Elysees  and 
the  gardens  of  Versailles,  of  St.  James'  Park 
and  Somerset  House,  of  the  Rue  d'Anglais 
and  the  forest  of  Fontainebleau,  of  the  Co- 
loseum  at  Rome  and  St.  Mark's  at  Venice,  of 
the  boulevards  of  Vienna,  Unter-den-lindens  at 
Berlin  and  lastly  of  quaint  old  Sweden,  All 
these  stirring  memories  blended  with  a  delight- 
ful sentiment  that  made  the  pulses  tingle,  the 
eyes  glisten  and  the  cheeks  glow. 


96  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

Those  were  happy  hours,  but  they  were 
fraught  with  danger.  Poor  Helen  was  in  a 
sad  dilemma.  Two  lovers  were  hovering  about 
her.  In  her  calmer  moments  her  heart  went 
out  to  honest,  faithful,  prosy  Dr.  Thompson. 
She  loved  him,  she  told  herself  again  and 
again.  He  was  a  good,  true-hearted,  self-deny- 
ing man.  He  had  made  no  advances  to  her. 
But  Love  has  a  language  of  its  own.  Love  had 
spoken  in  the  tones  of  his  voice,  in  the  glance 
of  his  eye  and  in  the  grasp  of  his  hand.  Helen 
knew  very  well  that  the  least  encouragement 
would  gladden  the  heart  of  one  of  the  noblest 
of  men.  That  Dr.  Thompson  had  never  re- 
ceived. He  found  the  society  of  a  refined  and 
intelligent  woman  a  feast  for  his  soul  in  the 
rugged  and  toilsome  life  that  he  led.  Yet  they 
were  scarcely  so  much  as  on  that  familiar  foot- 
ing that  would  justify  the  term  friendship. 

On  the  other  hand,  with  Sir  Edward,  Aliss 
Raleigh  was  simply  fascinated.  She  knew  that 
she  could  not  with  safety  and  horkor  give  her 
heart  to  such  a  man  whatever  pledge  of  refor- 
mation he  might  make.  And  men  of  such  a 
character  have  no  right  to  complain  if  their  pro- 
fessions of  amendment  are  required  to  be  sup- 
ported by  several  years  of  altered  life.  Yet 
such  was  the  glamour  of  his  presence,  aided  by 
the  arts  in  which  such  men  are  too  well  skilled, 
that  he  exercised  over  her  an  influence  which 
she  could  not  resist.  All  her  womanly  in- 
stincts of  pleasing  were   stimulated   and   she 


Love's  Dilemma.  97 

was  never  more  glowing  and  radiant  than 
when  Sir  Edward  was  with  her.  Now  that 
it  was  understood  that  their  footing  was 
simply  that  of  friendship,  and  as  Sir  Edward 
seemed  disposed  to  keep  to  the  terms  of  the 
contract,  there  was  no  reason  why  they  might 
not  be  on  the  best  of  terms.  Those  ladies  who 
have  never  had  an  English  baronet  at  their 
feet  (and  some  who  have)  will  fancy  they  see 
an  impropriety  in  her  conduct.  But  there  is 
this  to  be  said  in  her  behalf,  that,  much  as  she 
knew  about  Sir  Edw^ard,  she  did  not  know  the 
worst. 

And  how  was  the  case  regarded  by  the  two 
lovers  ? 

Dr.  Thompson  had  simply  given  up  the 
ship.  In  other  words  he  had  concluded  that 
she  was  not  the  b'rd  for  his  cage.  This  wild 
bush  life  would  not  suit  her  for  lono-.  A  few 
months  in  summer  she  had  endured  it  with  ap- 
parent pleasure.  But  the  novelty  would  soon 
wear  off.  Besides,  tlie  winter  was  coming, 
and,  successful  as  the  Raleighs  had  been,  they 
were  likely  to  find  themselves  very  meagerly 
furnished  for  several  years. 

There  were  hardships  in  store  for  them.  He 
could  not  bear  to  think  of  such  a  woman  as 
Helen  worn  down  by  poverty  anrl  loneliness,  de- 
prived of  intellectual  stimulus  until  her  life  be- 
came barren  and  her  nature  hard  and  joy- 
less. 
7 


98  The  Lady  of  Mark. 


(e 


No,"  he  thought,  "  the  baronet  may  take 
her.  She  wiU  be  a  help  to  him  in  his  new 
hfe." 

So  the  bright  thoughts  that  once  filled  his 
mind  became  "  as  a  lovely  dream  when  one 
awakens." 

Sir  Edward,  on  his  part,  Avas  not  without 
hope  that  his  suit  might  prove  successful.  He 
had  made  up  his  mind  to  return  to  Passmore 
and  take  up  his  long  neglected  work.  He  also 
decided  that  he  would  not  return  to  his  com- 
pany at  the  camp  until  he  was  prepared  to 
leave  the  country.  His  sickness  gave  him  an 
excuse  for  taking  up  his  quarters  with  the  Doc- 
tor. They  held  bachelors'  hall  and  got  along 
very  well.  Somers  visited  the  camp  every  day 
and  carried  instructions  from  the  chief.  The 
young  fellows  were  having  a  good  time.  They 
had  made  a  voyage  to  the  nearest  town  and 
brought  a  supply  of  provisions  and  sporting 
goods.  They  were  now  making  vigorous  war 
upon  everything  that  breathed.  C?esar  had 
come  upon  the  haunts  of  some  bears.  Al- 
though a  week  of  bear  hunting  yielded  no  defi- 
nite result,  CcTsar  afterwards  explained  in  con- 
fidence to  the  Doctor  that  he — 

"  Didn't  cal'late  ter  waste  no  live  bars  on  dat 
'scription  er  people." 

At  deer-stalking  they  apparently  did  better, 
for  one  morning  the  Raleighs  found  hanging 
on  the  side  of  the  house  the  carcass  of  a  fine 


Love's  Dilemma.  99 

buck  to  which  was  attached  a  card  on  which 
was  written : 

"  To  the  Lady  of  Mark.  CompHments  of 
the  '  Owl.'  " 

This  was  followed  by  several  tributes,  a 
string  of  fine  trouts.  a  bunch  of  partridges  or 
wild  ducks.  These  gifts  were  hung  at  the  side 
of  the  house  at  night  and  were  always  ad- 
dressed as  above.  One  of  them  was  accom- 
panied by  a  paper  which  bore  the  following 
effusion : 

THE  OWL  AND  THE  DOVE. 

The  Owl,  the  Owl  is  a  jovial  bird 
And  he  never  goes  home  till  morning, 
The  midnight  air  by  his  flight  is  stirred 
For  he  never  goes  home  till  morning. 
His  white  wings  skim  the  moonlit  hike 
From  set  of  sun  till  dawning, 
He  knows  full  well  when  the  day  will  break 
And  he  hies  him  home  in  the  morning. 
Oh  !  gentle  dove  in  the  forest  tree, 
'Tis  fair  to  give  thee  warning 
The  Owl,  tiie  Owl  is  after  thee 
To  carry  thee  off  in  the  morning. 

The  Owl  he  ranges  fount  and  rill 

All  fears  of  danger  scorning, 

He  seeks  his  prey  o'er  dale  and  liill 

And  bears  ft  away  in  the  mnrning. 

Oh  !  beauteous  bird  with  the  golden  crast 

Thy  snowy  plumes  adorning, 

The  Owl,  the  Owl  will  take  no  rest 

Till  he  carries  thee  off  in  the  morning. 

The  peculiar  haze  that  quivered  on  the  hori- 
zon anrl  filled  the  sky  with  a  crimson  glow  was 
an  unfamiliar  phenomenon  to  newcomers.  Tt 
V/as  caused  by  the  prevalence  of  forest  fires. 


100  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

A  period  of  several  weeks  of  rainless  weather 
had  made  everything  on  the  earth  as  dry  as 
tinder.  The  opportunity  had  been  seized  by 
the  settlers  to  get  their  brushwood  cleared  up 
and  burnt.  Every  settlement  was  adding  its 
quota  to  the  thickening  veil  of  smoke  that  cov- 
ered the  face  of  the  earth.  Occasionally  these 
fires  broke  loose  and  entered  the  forest  on  a 
career  of  their  own.  It  was  not  unusual  for 
the  woods  to  be  on  fire  in  half  a  dozen  places 
at  once.  As  a  general  thing  these  fires  were 
comparatively  harmless.  The  flames  crept  slug- 
gishly about  among  the  leaves  and  underbrush 
doing  no  particular  damage.  Careless  men 
have  even  been  known  to  set  fire  to  their  woods 
to  save  the  trouble  of  underbrushing.  Those 
disastrous  forest  conflagrations  that  have 
made  such  red  marks  on  the  annals  of  the 
backwoods  were  brought  about  by  a  combina- 
tion of  favoring  circumstances.  A  prolonged 
drought  had  made  the  woods  unusually  in- 
flammable, several  unregarded  fires  effected  a 
junction,  and,  unitedly  got  up  a  blaze  that  could 
not  be  controlled.  It  seized  upon  the  cherished 
groves  of  resinous  pine,  and  not  only  the 
shrubs  but  the  tallest  trees  were  ablaze  from 
top  to  bottom.  A  sudden  uprising  of  a  high 
wind  completed  the  mischief.  The  fire  dragon 
stretched  forth  his  red  wings  and  swooped 
across  the  devoted  country,  terror  before, 
death  and  ruin  behind. 


■^ 


Love's  Dilemma.  loi 

Headlong  for  the  nearest  water  sped  a 
panic-stricken  herd  of  animals  brute  and  hu- 
man, wild  and  tame,  shrieking,  bellowing, 
panting  in  terrific  stampede.  Blasted  as  they 
run  by  the  hot  breath  of  the  fire  demon,  they 
sink  down  and  die.  Nothing  escapes ;  fences 
are  licked  up,  crops,  barns  and  houses  are  de- 
voured. So  deep  a  scar  is  burned  in  Nature's 
face  that  it  remains  for  many  years.  Such  a 
fire  has  been  known  to  devastate  even  a  cleared 
country.  One  such  fire  swept  to  Avithin  a 
mile  of  Ottawa,  destroying  everything  in  its 
path  and  threatening  even  the  Capital.  The 
greatest  disaster  of  this  kind  on  record  is  a 
fire  which  originated  on  the  head- waters  of  the 
Ottawa  and  started  east,  ravaging  the  north- 
ern woods  for  hundreds  of  miles,  till  it  ex- 
hausted itself  in  the  dreary  wastes  of  the  Lab- 
rador peninsula. 


CHAPTER  X. 


A  FLIGHT  WITH  THE  "  OWL." 


One  morning  Sir  Edward  proposed  to 
Dr.  Thompson  that  they  should  invite  the 
younger  Raleighs  to  a  sail  on  the  lake. 

"  Do  you  think  the  company  would  be  agree- 
able to  them?  "  asked  the  Doctor. 

"  There  will  be  none  of  the  party  on  board 
except  Somers,  Rogers  and  my  sailing  master," 
said  Sir  Edward.  "  We  can  take  them  down 
in  the  skiff  and  get  them  on  board  without  go- 
ing near  the  camp." 

Dr.  Thompson  carried  the  invitation;  the 
afternoon  of  the  next  day  was  the  time  ap- 
pointed. Somers  conveyed  Peter  and  Grace 
with  the  yacht's  dingy,  leaving  Dr.  Thompson 
to  bring  Helen  with  his  own  boat.  Helen  was 
a  woman,  and  no  true  woman  is  unmindful  of 
the  influence  of  tasteful  attire.  Her  dress 
was  such  as  she  would  have  worn  at  some  Eng- 
lish rural  fete,  and  she  carried  a  shawl  of  In- 
dia silk  to  ward  off  the  chilly  lake  air.  They 
proceeded  along  the  winding  forest  path  now 
thickly  strewn  with  fallen  leaves  and  came  to 

I02 


A  Flight  with  the  "  Owl."        103 

the  river.  Embarlcing  was  a  matter  that  re- 
quired some  care.  This  was  before  the  time 
when  ladies  had  learned  to  dress  for  all  occa- 
sions. The  short-skirted,  close-clinging  boat- 
ing costume  had  not  been  thought  of.  The 
flowing,  voluminous  draperies  of  the  time  re- 
qiiired  to  be  carefully  bestowed  (within  the 
narrow  confines  of  a  leaky  skiff.  Dr.  Thomp- 
son was  very  attentive.  Such  was  the  charm 
of  her  presence  that  he  unconsciously  became 
as  gallant  as  a  cavalier.  Miss  Raleigh  was 
gratified.  Delicate  attentions  from  such  a 
man  as  Sir  Edward  might  be  a  matter  of  habit. 
But  from  the  blunt  and  honest  Doctor  they 
were  a  tribute  indeed.  As  they  glided  along 
the  placid  stream  in  alternate  sunlight  and 
shade  the  Doctor  told  her  of  the  resolution  Sir 
Edward  had  formed  to  abandon  his  life  of 
pleasure  and  take  up  the  duties  of  his  estate. 
He  gave  her  an  account  of  the  whole  affair  and 
expressed  his  conviction  that  Sir  Edward  was 
in  a  fair  way  to  become  a  changed  man.  Miss 
Raleigh  listened  with  great  interest. 

"  If  those  resolutions  are  carried  out,"  she 
replied,  "  the  amount  of  good  that  will  result 
is  more  than  you  can  imagine.  If  you  never 
do  any  more  than  to  bring  that  man  to  his 
right  mind  you  have  not  lived  in  vain.  I  al- 
ways believed  ihere  was  good  in  Sir  Edward 
and  I  am  sure  it  will  nnpear  some  dav." 

She    was    concerned    and    animated.     But 


104  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

neither  her  words  nor  her  manner  confirmed 
the  Doctor  in  the  opinion  he  had  formed  con- 
cerning her  relation  to  the  baronet.  It  puz- 
zled him  to  hear  her  speak  of  the  possibility 
of  there  being  good  in  the  man  to  whom  he 
supposed  she  had  given  her  heart  and  hand. 
Her  subsequent  conduct  still  further  disabused 
his  mind. 

"  Dr.  Thompson,"  she  said,  "  that  is  the 
best  news  I  have  heard  for  many  a  day.  And, 
do  you  know,  he  thinks  so  much  of  you.  I  be- 
lieve you  have  more  influence  over  him  than 
any  other  man  he  ever  met.  It  really  seems 
providential  that  you  should  be  here,  both  on 
his  account  and  ours." 

Coming  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  they  saw 
the  graceful  outlines  of  the  "  Owl  "  as  she  lay 
at  anchor.  When  they  were  alongside  Somers 
appeared. 

"  Gweetings  of  the  '  Owl '  to  the  Lady  of 
Mark,"  he  exclaimed. 
/   He  assisted  Helen  on  board  and  said : 

"  'Pon  me  word.  Miss  Waleigh,  this  is  quite 
an  honor,  it  is  indeed.  It  is  wather  early  for 
the  '  Owl '  to  fly  abwoad,  but  she  will  spwead 
her  white  wings  and  show  you  what  she 
can  do." 

There  were  already  on  board  Sir  Edward. 
Rogers,  Goodwin  the  pilot,  Peter  and  Grace. 

Then  followed  the  usual  rattling  of  cords 
pind  creaking  and  swaying  of  booms. 


A  Flight  with  the  "  Owl."        105 

"  Ready  now  with  the  forcb'el.  Up  she 
g^oes,"  shouted  Sir  Edward,  who,  dressed  in  a 
jaunty  yachting  suit,  was  commanding  the  ves- 
sel with  a  great  show  of  authority. 

"  Up  with  the  gib.  Stand  by  to  up  anchor. 
Clear  away  the  tackle  for  the  mainsle."  Or- 
ders came  faster  than  the  scanty  crew  could 
get  them  attended  to.  And  soon  she  was  in 
motion  with  a  fresh  breeze  heading  up  the 
lake  in  a  northerly  direction. 

As  soon  as  she  was  fairly  before  the  wind 
Somers  came  with  a  great  show  of  hospital- 
ity to  take  them  over  the  vessel.  She  was  a 
craft  of  about  thirty  tons.  The  deck  was 
soon  explored.  Below  she  was  divided  into 
two  cabins.  The  cabin  aft  was  luxuriously 
furnished.  An  upholstered  seat  ran  along  each 
side  which  at  night  could  be  divided  into  a 
tier  of  sleeping  berths.  At  the  extreme  stern 
was  a  tiny  cabin,  a  cosy  and  elegant  apart- 
ment. 

"  This,"  said  Somers,  "  is  the  ladies'  cabin 
when  there  are  ladies  on  board ;  otherwise  it 
is  occupied  by  Sir  Edward  and  myself." 

The  fore  cabin  contained  a  kitchen  and 
pantry  and  half  a  dozen  extra  berths.  Coming 
on  deck  they  founrl  that  their  starting  place 
was  far  behind.  The  lake  had  widened,  the 
.shores  had  become  more  rugged.  Before  them 
stretched  an  expanse  of  white-capped  billows 
"bourjfjed  by  towe^jt)g  Jieadlands  and  sharp- 


io6  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

pointed  capes.  Sir  Edward  was  steering  with 
the  pilot  standing  by.  He  sailed  so  near  to 
the  eastern  coast  that  there  drifted  past  them 
a  series  of  forest  vistas  whose  hues  were  as 
varied  as  the  colors  of  a  kaleidoscope.  The 
passengers  were  left  somewhat  to  themselves 
as  in  the  fresh  wind  the  vessel  needed  the  at- 
tention of  the  crew.  Peter  was  anxious  to 
display  his  sea  legs  by  walking  about.  The 
ladies  remained  forward  watching  the  curling, 
foamy  billows  around  the  plunging  prow. 
Presently  the  attentive  Somers  brought  them 
seats. 

"  Make  yourselves  comfortable  ladies,"  said 
he;  "when  we  are  before  the  wind  and 
haven't  so  much  of  this  confounded  tacking 
we  shall  be  able  to  pay  you  more  atten- 
tion." Dr.  Thompson  then  joined  them,  and 
said : 

"  I  suppose  yachting  is  nothing  new  to  you, 
Helen?" 

"  No,  indeed,  we  sailed  so  much  on  the  North 
Sea." 

"  Does  this  remind  you  of  anything  you  ever 
saw  before?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  very  much  like  the  coast  of 
Sweden,  only  it  is  much  brighter.  I  never  saw 
such  colors.  Aren't  they  gorgeous  ?  And 
such  a  vast  lake  !  Is  it  really  fresh  water? 
I  can  scarcely  believe  it." 

"  This  is  really  only  a  small  lake  for  Amer- 


A  Flight  with  the  "  Owl."        107 

ica,  Helen.  There  are  lakes  where  you  lose 
sight  of  land  while  crossing  them." 

"  This  is  plenty  large  enough  for  me,"  said 
poor  Grace  with  her  handkerchief  at  her 
mouth. 

*'  How  strange  to  have  the  only  craft  afloat 
in  such  water,"  said  Helen;  "there  is  not  an- 
other vessel  in  sight." 

"  The  only  vessel  on  this  lake  larger  than  a 
skiff  is  a  small  steamer  that  makes  a  weekly 
trip." 

Just  here  poor  Grace  had  to  go  below,  over- 
come with  freshwater  seasickness,  and  they 
were  left  alone. 

"  What  a  wilderness  this  is  !  "  said  Helen, 
"  Forest  as  far  as  we  can  see  and  not  a  sign  of 
civilization." 

"  There  is  nothing  in  all  this  region  except 
such  clearings  as  you  liave  seen  at  Mark.  The 
nearest  point  of  civilization  is  a  little  town  at 
the  foot  of  the  lake  ten  miles  away.  And  here 
are  we  in  the  midst  of  all  this  wilderness  enjoy- 
ing all  the  luxuries  of  high  life.  I  tell  you, 
Helen,  this  is  an  unusual  experience  in  these 
parts." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  it  is  quite  a  handsome  yacht, 
although,  of  course,  I  have  sailed  on  much 
finer." 

"  But  there  will  be  this  difference,"  said  the 
Doctor,  "  that  when  you  land  you  will  not  be 
driven  in  a  carriage  to  a  mansion.     You  will 


io8  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

be  taken  in  a  leaky  punt  to  a  log  house  in  the 
woods." 

"  '  Be  it  ever  so  humble,  there  is  no  place  like 
home,'  "  replied  Helen. 

"  Helen,  do  you  ever  think  of  the  future?  " 
"  Who  does  not,  Dr.  Thompson  ?  " 
*'  But  I  mean  about  your  own  prospects  here 
in  the  settlement.  Let  me  tell  you  that  you 
have  had  an  easy  time  so  far.  Not  one  in  a 
thousand  has  been  as  fortunate  as  you  have 
been.     It  may  not  be  so  always." 

"  Dr.  Thompson,  you  may  be  sure  that  when 
we  were  desperate  enough  to  try  our  fortunes 
in  a  strange  land  we  were  prepared  for  the 
worst.  We  have  found  things  much  better 
than  our  wildest  hopes." 

"It  is  not  always  summer,  Miss  Raleigh; 
what  will  you  do  in  the  winter  when  the  lake 
is  frozen  and  the  country  is  buried  in  snow? 
Have  you  furs,  snow-shoes  and  sleighs? 
How  will  you  enjoy  life  when  for  weeks  to- 
gether you  have  no  occasion  to  leave  the  house ; 
when  you  have  no  society,  no  church,  nothing 
but  the  dreary  round  of  monotonous  life?" 
Miss  Raleigh  was  watching  him  with  an 
amused  expression  as  though  wondering  what 
this  sudden  solicitude  might  portend. 

"What  will  you  do,  Doctor?"  she  asked. 
When  too  late  the  question  appeared  pointed, 
she  blushed  and  looked  away  in  confusion. 
"  What  will  you  do  when  your  good  clothes 


A  Flight  with  the  "Owl."        109 

are  gone  and  all  the  comforts  you  have  brought 
with  you?  It  will  be  hard  to  replace  them  in 
this  country." 

Miss  Raleigh  replied  laughing: 

"  From  your  account  I  shall  have  small  need 
of  silks  and  laces.  The  social  life  of  Mark 
will  make  small  demands  upon  my  wardrobe; 
it  is  likely  to  last  me  some  time." 

**  There  won't  be  any  baronets — " 

It  was  the  Doctor's  turn  to  be  embarrassed. 
He  pulled  up  quickly  but  not  in  time.  Miss 
Raleigh  replied  sharply : 

"If  the  Doctor  is  there  with  his  imperti- 
nence it  will  be  entertainment  enough.  Really, 
Dr.  Thompson,  if  I  did  not  know  you  to  be 
a  dear,  honest,  blundering  old  goose  I  should 
take  offense  at  that  last  remark." 

"  Well,  if  Sir  Edward's  presence  has  been 
any  pleasure  to  you,"  said  the  Doctor,  floun- 
dering deeper  and  deeper  in,  "  his  absence  is 
going  to  add  to  the  monotony  of  bush  life." 

"  That  will  do.  Doctor,"  she  replied  sharply, 
"  and  I  must  ask  you  never  to  mention  that 
subject  again." 

They  were  both  annoyed.  Dr.  Thompson 
was  conscious  that  in  his  effort  to  ascertain 
what  her  thoughts  of  the  future  were  he  had 
displayed  an  unseemh^  curiosity  and  a  sus- 
picious amount  of  sensibility  with  regard  to 
her  relations  with  the  baronet.  And  Miss 
Raleigh  was  reminded  that  her  association  with 


no  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

Sir  Edward  had  been  unavoidably  misinter- 
preted by  her  honest,  faithful  friend.  An  un- 
comfortable silence  followed.  Both  looked 
over  the  waste  of  sunlit  waters  without  speak- 


ing. 


Miss  Raleigh  felt  mortified.  With  all  the 
influence  she  could  exercise  over  such  men  as 
Sir  Edv/ard  she  could  not  give  the  desired  en- 
couragement to  the  man  whom  she  really  loved. 
Everything  combined  to  make  him  misunder- 
stand her. 

Sir  Edward  gave  the  wheel  to  the  pilot  and 
came  forward.  The  wind  was  brisk  but  the 
vessel  was  sufficiently  steady  for  promenading. 
He  gave  his  arm  to  Helen  and  they  paced  up 
and  down.  She  soon  forgot  her  annoyance. 
The  Doctor  watched  them  as  they  came  and 
went,  she  with  an  animated  expression  and 
her  white  dress  and  ribbons  fluttering  in  the 
breeze ;  he  in  his  natty  suit  and  his  manner  at 
once  respectful,  gallant  and  gay.  They  con- 
versed eagerly  for  several  minutes.  Helen 
then  incidentally  expressed  her  pleasure  with 
the  outing. 

"  Must  it  be  the  last?  "  inquired  the  baronet 
gently.  "  Helen,  what  is  your  life  to  be  in  a 
country  like  this  ?     I  almost  tremble  for  you." 

Just  at  that  moment  Helen's  eyes  rested  on 
the  unsailorlike  form  of  Dr.  Thompson  as  he 
sat  alone  and  uncomfortable  looking.  It  must 
be  admitted  that  his  appearance  was  not  heroic 


A  Flight  with  the  "Owl."        iii 


at  that  moment.  Miss  Raleigh's  silence  was 
the  most  misleading  reply  she  could  have  made 
to  such  a  question.  If  he  ventured  to  press  the 
hand  that  lay  so  confidingly  upon  his  arm  it 
may  have  been  only  intended  to  emphasize  his 
sympathetic  remark. 

Just  then  the  wind  dropped  to  a  dead  calm 
and  Sir  Edward  moved  ofif  to  attend  to  the 
sails.  They  hoisted  a  flvino-  jib  and  a  spin- 
naker. They  looked  all  round  the  heavens  and 
whistled  into  all  points  of  the  compass ;  but  all 
in  vain —  the  vessel  remained  motionless. 

"  Good  time  to  take  tea,"  suggested  Somers. 

As  tea  was  ready  they  went  below,  leaving 
the  pilot  on  deck. 

Below  they  were  astonished  to  find  Black 
Caesar  arrayed  in  a  dress  suit  and  a  frilled 
shirt  which  that  mischievous  Somers  had  per- 
suaded him  was  the  correct  costume  in  which 
to  wait  on  table.  With  a  negro's  innate  love 
of  style  Cspsar  would  have  worn  plate  armor, 
in  which,  perhaps,  he  would  not  have  been 
more  uncomfortable. 

The  repast  was  a  compromise  between  din- 
ner and  tea,  and  the  fare  suggested  an  ar- 
rangement between  a  tavern  and  a  lumber 
shanty.  There  were  canned  meats,  potatoes 
with  their  skins  on,  baked  beans,  fried  trout, 
ship  biscuit,  fried  cakes  and  shanty  bread. 
\\nien  the  vessel  became  motionless  Grace  ven- 
tured to  appear  and  the  two  ladies  received  all 


112  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

the  attention  that  is  usually  paid  to  ladies  in 
the  cabin  of  a  yacht.  Peter  had  been  lending 
a  hand  on  deck  and  had  got  himself  a  regular 
sea-going  appetite  as  he  termed  it.  Where  can 
a  party  be  more  hilarious  than  in  the  cabin 
of  a  yacht  even  though  the  only  beverage  is 
tea?  The  feast  proceeded  with  much  rnerri- 
ment  and  many  displays  of  wit.  Black  Cie- 
sar  tripped  about  wearing  a  beaming  smile. 

"  Wind    shifting    norrud,    >Sor,"     shouted 
Goodwin  down  the  companion. 

Fortunately  they  had  just  finished  tea. 
"All    right,"    replied    Sir    Edward,    "that 
will  give  us  a  good  run  home." 
Presently  Goodwin  shouted  again: 
"  Big  wind  east-nor'-east,  Sor.     She'll  back 
in  a  minute." 

Sir  Edward  started  for  the  deck  followed  by 
his  crew.  Just  then  was  heard  the  rattle  of 
cordage,  a  peculiar  bumping  and  the  roar  of  a 
squall.  The  booms  swung  across  the  deck  and 
the  yacht  careened  in  a  manner  that  sent  the 
dishes  flying.  Csesar  dropped  a  handful  of 
plates  and  pressed  his  back  against  the  side  of 
the  cabin  that  was  uppermost  in  a  frantic  en- 
deavor to  restore  the  vessel's  equilibrium. 
At  the  first  movement  Grace  vanished  into  the 
ladies'  cabin.  The  Doctor  drew  Helen  out 
from  under  the  table  and  assisted  her  to  the 
deck.  Sir  Edward  was  shouting  ordersi  as 
though  he  had  a  crew  of  twenty.     A  sudden 


A  Flight  with  the  "Owl".       113 

gust  of  contrary  wind  had  backed  the  sails  and 
thrown  the  yacht  almost  on  her  beam  ends. 
By  prompt  action  the  danger  was  averted  and 
she  righted. 

"  Didn't  onghter  hev  so  much  sail  up  with 
the  crew  below,"  said  Goodwin.  "  Youse  may 
be  all  good  seamen,  but  youse  ain't  on  to  these 
lake  winds." 

The  wind  had  swung  half  round  the  com- 
pass and  was  blowing  a  gale. 

Sir  Edward  was  now  in  his  element. 

"  Get  her  close  hauled  fore  and  aft,  Good- 
win," he  shouted;  "  we'll  take  the  wind  abeam 
and  sail  her  for  all  she  is  worth." 

He  took  the  wheel  and  Goodwin  went  for- 
ward to  where  Somers,  Rogers  and  Peter  were 
pulling  in  the  sheets  in  a  reckless  fashion. 
Soon  Sir  Edward  had  the  sails  to  his  liking 
with  a  man  at  each  sheet  ready  to  slacken 
away  at  a  word.  Somers  then  came  aft  and 
sat  with  Miss  Raleigh  and  the  Doctor.  The 
yacht  heeled  over  at  a  most  unpleasant  angle 
and  raced  along  at  a  most  exhilarating  rate 
of  speed.  The  Doctor  then  went  below  and 
brought  up  Grace,  who  still  looked  very  pale 
and  limp.  With  cushions  and  wraps  a  couch 
was  made  for  her  and  the  color  slowly  came 
back  to  her  cheeks  from  the  inlluence  of  the 
wind  and  sunlight. 

Somers  and  his  chief  were  in  their  glory,  and 
8 


114  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

an  occasional  glance  at  each   other  betrayed 
their  mutual  satisfaction. 

"Now  you  shall  see  some  pwetty  sailing; 
now  you  shall  see  what  tlie  saucy  '  Owl  '  can 
do,"  shouted  Somers. 

"  You  should  have  named  your  yacht  the 
'  Sea-gull,'  "  said  Helen,  glancmg  up  admir- 
ingly at  the  gleaming  sails. 

"  What,  to  sail  on  fwe.  h  water,  Miss  Wa- 
leigh?  No, the  'Owl'or  the  'Patwidge  or  some 
such  chicken.  But  the  '  Owl  '  can  sail  though, 
you  shall  see.     Go  it,  old  White  Wings  !  "  ' 

They  were  heading  for  the  open  lake  and 
soon  they  had  the  benefit  of  the  waves  that 
were  every  moment  growing  larger.  The 
yacht  was  soon  plunging  and  the  spray  began 
to  fly.  Somers  went  below  for  waterproofs 
which  he  wrapped  around  Helen  and  Grace. 

"  It  is  fwesh  water,  Miss  Waleigh,"  he  said; 
"  it  is  cold,  heavy  and  wet.  Some  peonle 
dwink  it,"  he  added  with  a  grimace.  "If  it 
were  salt  water,  now,  good,  honest  English 
water,  I'd  let  you  take  a  ducking,  such  a  one 
as  you  had  on  the  Solent  on  the  day  of  the 
gweat  naval  we  view." 

"  Mr.  Somers,  were  you  there  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  was,  and  I  saw  the  fun,"  said  he 
as  he  walked  away  leaving  her  very  much  puz- 
zled. Her  hair  was  soon  blowing-  about  her 
face  m  spite  of  her  efforts  to  prevent  it. 
Somers  again  came  to  her  help.     He  tied  a 


A  Flight  with  the  "Owl."       115 

highly  perfumed  silk  handkerchief  about  the 
golden  locks. 

"  What  delightful  perfume,"  she  exclaimed; 
"  is  that  your  choice,  Mr.  Somers  ?  " 

"  No,  it  is  the  chief's,"  replied  Somers. 
"  The  chief  is  expewienced  in  perfumevvy." 

''  Somers,  you  rascal,"  murmured  that 
worthy  as  he  wrestled  with  the  wheel. 

"  The  chief  encountered  a  commercial  gen- 
tleman who  twavels  in  perfumewy,"  continued 
the  unabashed  Somers,  "  and  the  interview 
cost  him  the  pwice  of  a  new  pair  of  twousers." 

Somers  winked  at  the  Doctor  who  had  heard 
the  story,  but  Helen  was  mystified.  So  they 
chatted  and  joked  as  the  yacht  bowled  along 
and  the  spray  flew  about  their  ears.  Somers 
was  exploding  with  humor  and  his  witty  re- 
marks derived  a  relish  from  his  drawling  man- 
ner and  effeminate  lisp.  Soon  he  persuaded 
Helen  to  go  with  him  forward  to  the  bow 
, where  the  impressions  of  speed  and  motion 
v\'ould  be  the  greater.  Away  they  went; 
Somers  with  one  hand  on  the  windward  gun- 
wale and  his  other  arm  (the  cheek  of  him!) 
round  her  waist.  But  perhaps  the  sharp  angle 
of  the  deck  and  the  plunging  motion  of  the 
boat  justified  that.  Reaching  the  Ijow  they 
stood  on  the  upper  side  watching  the  swelHng 
sails  and  the  mastheads  tracing  diagrams 
against  the  sky.  Did  Helen  become  giddy 
with  the  dizzy  swooping  of  the  yacht  that  she 


ii6  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

should  need  so  much  support?  Or  was  there 
something  suspiciously  like  a  flirtation  in 
progress  between  these  two?  On  returning 
they  fell  and  slid  across  the  wet,  sloping  deck 
into  the  lee  scuppers.  At  that  moment  they 
were  overwhelmed  with  a  drenching  douche 
of  spray  and  came  back  dripping.  Her  face 
was  wet  and  rosy  with  the  wind  and  spray 
and  she  ruefully  surveyed  her  limp  ribbons 
and  shook  the  drops  from  her  glistening 
skirt. 

"  Watered  silk  is  all  the  go  now,  Miss  Wa- 
leigh,"  said  Somers,  consolingly. 

"  That  was  hardly  a  suitable  dress  for  such 
an  outing,"  said  Dr.  Thompson. 

"  Thank  you.  Doctor,"  she  replied,  some- 
what stiffly,  "  but  you  have  already  reminded 
me  that  I  shall  not  need  it  again." 

The  annoyance  she  felt  was  not  all  on  ac- 
count of  the  accident  to  her  finery.  She  knew 
that  Dr.  Thompson  had  seen  all  that  had  passed 
and  must  have  put  his  own  construction  upon 
it.  She  was  in  that  state  of  mind  when  a  wo- 
man is  reckless  and  makes  liberal  provision  for 
future  repentance.  Somers.  supposing  that 
her  evident  distress  was  on  account  of  her  wet- 
ting, expressed  great  regret. 

"  But,"  said  he,  "  the  spray  won't  matter 
now,  for  you  can't  get  any  worse." 

However  the  water  was  fresh  and  pure  and 
■the  wind  and  sunlight  soon  repaired  the  dam- 


A  Flight  with  the  "Owl."      117 

age.  Helen  regained  her  spirits  as  her  plum- 
age resumed  its  luster. 

"  We  have  passed  the  point  by  a  mile,"  said 
Sir  Edward,  "  we  shall  have  to  tack  to  get  in." 

The  thick  pine  grove  and  the  white  tent  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river  were  seen  astern. 

"  Stand  bv  to  'bout  ship  !  " 

"  Aye,  aye,   Sor  !  " 

Sir  Edward  jammed  the  wheel  down  with 
all  his  might  and  the  yacht  rounded  with  the 
sweep  of  a  sea-gull. 

"  Let  go  !  " 

The  booms  swung  inward. 

"  Heads  below  !  " 

The  booms  swung  across  the  deck.  The 
vessel  staggered  for  a  moment  as  the  sails 
fluttered. 

"  Haul  away  tight  and  make  fast." 

The  sails  filled  and  the  vessel  bounded  away 
on  the  other  tack. 

"  Can't  do  it.  Sor,"  shouted  Goodwin  from 
the  bow ;  "  it's  in  the  eye  of  the  wind." 

"  Then  we'll  give  her  some  weather  and  try 
it  again.     She'll  make  it  on  the  next  tack." 

Very  soon  they  passed  the  point  again,  this 
time  running  up  the  lake.  Again  they  accom- 
plished the  exciting  task  of  going  about  in  the 
face  of  a  high  wind.  A  few  minutes  on  this 
tack  brought  them  abreast  of  the  point  on  the 
sheltered  side.  The  vessel  was  still  dasliing 
ahead  as  though  bent    on  running    aground. 


ii8  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

Goodwin  was  on  the  lookout.  Soon  came  the 
cry : 

"  Hard  a  port,  Sor  !  " 

Over  went  the  wheel  and  she  rounded  with 
a  flourish.  There  was  a  splash  at  the  bow, 
the  sails  came  rattling  down  and  the  "  Owl  " 
had  returned  to  her  anchorage. 

Sir  Edward  took  Grace  and  Peter  ashore  in 
the  dingy ;  Dr.  Thompson  followed  with  Helen 
in  his  own  skiff. 

Thus  ended  a  memorable  excursion.  In 
expressing  her  thanks  Helen  said : 

"  This  is  a  day  that  I  shall  long  remember." 

Truly  it  was,  and  the  reasons  that  made  it 
memorable  were  yet  to  come. 

It  was  not  remembered  for  its  romance  and 
flirtation,  but  for  an  adventure  wild  and  thrill- 
ing, a  tragedy  stark  and  ghastly,  a  calamitv 
that  sent  a  thrill  of  horror  through  the  land 
and  made  another  red  mark  in  the  annals  of  the 
backwoods. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


"  THROUGH  FIRE  AND  FLOOD." 


Peter  and  Grace  went  directly  home  on 
landing-,  but  Dr.  Thompson  and  Helen  saun- 
tered leisurely  along  and  bore  themselves  as 
though  private  explanations  were  in  order. 
As  soon  as  they  were  alone  it  was  evident  that 
there  was  a  cloud  between  them.  Dr.  Thomp- 
son was  saddened  and  disappointed ;  his  high 
regard  for  Miss  Raleigh  had  been  lowered. 
She  too  was  conscious  that  she  had  not  sus- 
tained herself  and  that  she  must  have  fallen  in 
the  esteem  of  the  man  whose  regard  above  all 
others  she  desired.  Their  attention  was  soon 
diverted  from  each  other  by  some  surprising 
phenomena.  It  grew  suddenly  dark  as  though 
the  sky  were  overcast.  The  wind  increased, 
the  air  was  filled  with  a  strange  roaring  which 
every  moment  increased.  A  lurid  light  per- 
vadefl  the  forest  and  a  peculiar  blue  mist 
seemed  to  be  forming  among  the  treetops. 

"What  is  it,  Doctor?"  she  asked  in  fright- 
ened tones. 

The  Doctor  stood  like  a  man  paralyzed  with 
horror. 

119 


120  The  Lady  of  Mark.  i 

"  Back  to  the  river,  quick,  run  for  your  life !" 

"  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  Good  God,  Helen,  it  is  fire." 

"  Is  it  dangerous?  " 

"  God  help  us  !     It  is  death." 

Away  he  ran  like  a  madman.  Was  he  de- 
serting her  ?  He  was  making  the  shortest 
cut  to  the  river  in  hope  of  intercepting  Sir  Ed- 
ward with  the  boat.  She  followed  as  best  she 
could,  loosing  her  hat  and  marking  her  way 
with  strips  of  fringe  and  lace.  Sir  Edward 
was  not  in  sight.  To  go  up  stream  for  the 
canoe  was  to  meet  death  on  the  way. 

"  We  must  get  down  stream  as  fast  as  we 
can,"  said  the  Doctor;  "below  here  there  are 
some  barren  rocks  where  we  may  find  shelter 
till  the  fire  has  passed." 

The  river  was  bordered  with  thick  and  in- 
flammable underbrush  and  encumbered  at  the 
side  with  sodden  drift  wood.  They  walked 
out  on  a  fallen  tree  past  the  debris.  Alas !  for 
neat  boots  and  dainty  dress.  Her  feminine 
instincts  for  their  preservation  almost  over- 
came her  terror  of  the  fire.  Down  they  sprang 
with  a  plunge.  The  bottom  was  firm  and 
smooth  and  they  waded  along  as  fast  as  Helen 
could  move  with  her  clinging  garments. 
Knee  deep  for  a  hundred  yards,  then  waist 
deep.  The  fire  was  following  them  down  the 
river.  Clouds  of  smoke  rolled  above  them,  the 
flames   were   in   sight   crackling   among   the 


"Through  Fire  and  Flood."      121 

bushes.  Before  them  rose  the  shehering  rocks ; 
could  they  reach  them?  The  water  was  of 
unknown  depth.  In  a  minute  they  were 
shoulder  deep.  The  Doctor  drew  Helen  to 
his  side  and  she  clung  to  him  in  silent  terror. 
Half  drowned  they  reached  the  rocks  and  drew 
themselves  along  hand  over  hand  until  they 
reached  a  place  where  they  could  raise  them- 
selves above  the  water. 

For  the  present  they  were  safe,  but  for  how 
long?  The  air  was  like  the  blast  of  a  furnace 
and  full  of  sparks  and  firebrands.  Helen, 
woman-like,  began  to  wring  the  water  from 
her  clothes.  The  Doctor,  with  the  expression 
of  a  man  at  bay,  watched  the  advancing  fire 
and  gloomily  calculated  their  chances.  There 
was  no  vegetation  within  twenty  yards  of 
them.  But  he  saw  with  dismay  the  long, 
forked  streamers  of  flame  that  leaped  so  far  in 
advance  of  the  burning  mass.  When  the  fire 
was  nearest  they  would  be  in  the  track  of  that 
belching  volcano.  It  was  a  question  of  mo- 
ments— the  moment  had  come.  He  crouched 
to  avoid  the  heat  that  blistered  his  hands  and 
face.  Miss  Raleigh  was  overpowered  and 
fell  prostrate.  He  felt  his  senses  leaving  him 
and,  thinking  it  would  be  better  to  drown  than 
to  burn  he  lifted  her  off  the  ledge  and  leaped 
again  into  the  river.  There  was  no  footing; 
he  grasped  the  rock  with  one  hand  and  sup- 
ported Helen  with  the  other.     The  cold  plunge 


122  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

revived  her,  the  air  near  the  water  was  cooler, 
and  close  to  the  rock  they  were  protected  from 
most  of  the  sparks.  The  fire  blazed,  roared, 
hissed,  crackled  and  whistled;  long  streamers 
of  flame  flapped  and  fluttered ;  whirling  show- 
ers of  sparks  and  brands  were  swept  this  way 
and  that,  and  the  falling  trees  and  branches  on 
the  brow  of  the  cliff  sent  a  cataract  of  cinders 
down  upon  their  heads.  How  long  could  they 
hold  out  ?  He  was  supporting  her  weight  and 
his  by  one  hand.  Immersed  bodies  are  nor 
heavy;  still  the  strain  was  a  great  one.  Al- 
ready his  arm  was  trembling.  Minutes  that 
seemed  hours  crept  slowly  past.  As  they  had 
not  perished  at  the  first  onset  of  the  flames 
hope  began  to  arise. 

"  Helen,"  he  said,  "  can  you  catch  hold 
somewhere  and  let  me  change  hands  ?  " 

Helen  squeezed  her  fingers  into  a  crevice  and 
held  on  while  he  endeavored  to  recover  the  use 
ot  his  stiffened  arm.  Just  then  a  log  floating 
down  the  stream  scraped  its  butt  along  the  cliff 
and  Helen  was  thrust  aside.  Losing  her  hold 
of  the  rock  she  clung  to  the  log  and  was  borne 
away.  Dr.  Thompson  who  was  watching  the 
fire  did  not  notice  this.  As  soon  as  she  found 
herself  swept  away  she  screamed  and  bp  was 
amazed  to  miss  her  from  his  side.  Jt^ut  the 
log  was  floating  to  safety,  so  he  attempted  to 
swim  after  it.  But  his  right  arm  was  still 
cramped  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  he  re- 


"Through  Fire  and  Flood."      123 

gained  the  rock.  A  swirling  blast  of  hot  air 
covered  the  river  with  smoke  and  he  found 
himself  alone.  He  called  to  Helen  to  cling  to 
the  log  but  got  no  reply. 

Poor  Helen   was    in  a  sad    case.     With    a 
strong  arm  around  her  and  a  brave  heart  to  en- 
courage her  she  had  not  been  hopeless.     But 
now  she  found  herself  alone  with  the  water 
around,  the  fire  above  and  nothing  to  cling  to 
but  a  wet  slippery  log  that  would  keep  turn- 
ing round.     She  floated  with  upturned  face, 
and  whenever  the  veil  above  was  rent  by  a  hot 
blast  she  saw  that  up  to  the  very  zenith  the 
firmament  was  filled  with  rolling,   wreathing 
volumes  of  purple  smoke,  glowing,  quivering 
and    flashing  with    light  as    they  were    shot 
through   and  through   with  lurid   flames   and 
scored  by  a  driving  tempest  of  blazing  brands. 
Amid  all  this  dissolution  of  nature  where  the 
elements  were  melting  with  fervent  heat  she 
was  alone  !  alone  !     The  sense  of  loneliness 
was  like  a  nightmare.     A  terror  was  coming 
over  her  which  imperiled  her  self-possession. 
She  gave  utterance  to  a  series  of  shrieks  so 
shrill  and  piercing  that  they  echoed  along  the 
water  and  sounded  above  all  the  uproar.  Then 
.she  prayed,  and  as  she  prayed  a  calm  came  over 
her.     So    she  continued    to  pray    as  she    was 
borne  along  she  knew  not  whither. 

When  Sir  Edward  returned  to  the  camp  he 
found  there  a  solitary  individual  who  had  evi- 


124  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

dently  been  drinking  and  had  probably  been 
left  behind  on  that  account. 

"  Drunk  again,  Glenny,"  he  said  in  a  tone  of 
disgust. 

"  Some  I,  Sir  Edward,  some  I,"  repHed  the 
fellow  impudently. 

Sir  Edward  then  went  on  board.  The 
yacht  was  secured  with  her  bow  to  the  lake  and 
her  stern  held  to  the  shore  by  a  line.  By  the 
time  they  had  made  all  snug  their  comrades 
returned  evidently  excited,  lliey  called  aloud 
for  Sir  Edward  and  shouted  that  the  forest 
was  on  fire.  The  forest  around  them  was  so 
tall  and  dense  that  it  was  impossible  to  see 
into  the  northeast,  but  clouds  of  red  smoke 
above  their  heads  testified  that  a  serious  con- 
flagration was  approaching. 

''  Any  danger,  Goodwin  ? "  inquired  Sir 
Edward. 

"  Bad  fire,  Sor ;  with  this  wind  it  will  come 
on  fast  and  burn  to  the  water's  edge.  We 
must  get  out  of  here  and  no  time  to  lose." 

They  paid  out  the  cable  and  hauled  ashore 
as  near  as  the  yacht  would  float.  Sir  Edward 
and  Somers  then  went  ashore.  By  this  time 
the  roaring  of  the  flames  could  be  heard,  the 
gleam  of  the  fire  was  visible  and  fragments 
of  burning  tinder  fell  about  them.  A  veri- 
table panic  prevailed.  Some  clamored  to  take 
down  the  tent  and  save  their  effects,  others 
shouted  to  let  everything  go  as  they  had  barely 


"Through  Fire  and  Flood."      125 

time  to  save  their  own  lives.  Half  a  dozen 
tried  to  crowd  into  the  dingy  the  moment  it 
touched  shore.  Glenny  in  drunken  terror  bel- 
lowed : 

"  The  world  is  burning  up  !     The  Day  of 

Judgment  ! " 

"  Likely  enough,  and  you  are  in  a  pwetty 
condition,  you  dwunken  wascal,"  shouted 
Somers. 

Sir  Edward's  presence  restored  order.     Said 

he: 

"  There  will  be  time  to  save  everythmg  if 
you  keep  cool  and  attend  to  orders." 

He  then  proceeded  to  direct  the  embarka- 
tion, but  was  interrupted  by  a  shout  from 
Goodwin.  That  wretched  Glenny  with  a  fud- 
dled notion  of  doing  something  useful  had 
loosed  the  shore  line,  and  the  yacht  swinging 
on  her  cable  had  grounded  on  a  sandbar  in  the 
middle  of  the  river.  Now  their  peril  was 
great.  An  inflammable  forest  surrounded  them 
and  a  few  minutes  were  all  that  remained.  As 
quickly  as  possible  a  line  was  got  from  the 
yacht.  \\''ith  a  stump  for  a  fulcrum  and  a 
cedar  pole  for  a  lever  she  was  wrenched  off 
the  bar.  Then  l:)egan  the  embarking,  each 
man  carrying  his  most  cherished  goods.  Sev- 
eral trips'  had  to  be  made.  Somers,  Rogers 
and  Sir  Edward  were  the  last  to  come  along- 
side. As  they  left  the  beach  the  trees  behind 
them  were  on  fire  at  the  top. 


126  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

"  Now  don't  make  the  same  bkinder  again, 
"  shouted  the  chief,  "  Pay  out  tlie  stern  Hne 
and  haul  on  your  cable  until  we  are  clear  of 
the  bar." 

He  passed  the  small  boat  to  the  stern  of 
the  yacht  and  called  out: 

"  Let  down  the  blocks  and  we  will  hoist 
the  dingy." 

As  he  bent  down  to  adjust  the  hooks,  when 
his  ear  was  near  the  water  he  heard  faintly 
those  shrieks  we  have  mentioned.  Had  he 
been  standing  up  he  would  not  have  heard 
them.  He  knew  the  voice.  He  had  been 
anxious  about  Helen.  She  was  in  the  river 
calling  for  help. 

"  Hold  on,"  he  shouted,  "  don't  let  go  yet." 

But  too  late.  They  slipped  both  the  shore 
line  and  the  cable  and  with  frantic  speed  they 
were  getting  up  sail.  Somers'  vigorous  tones 
rang  out  in  protest  and  he  called  aloud  to  Sir 
Edward  to  return. 

Sir  Edward  paid  no  heed.  With  a  short 
scull  he  was  screwing  the  dingy  p.long  with 
all  his  might.  The  river  was  enveloped  with 
smoke  and  arched  with  flame  and  a  ceaseless 
hail  of  brands  and  cinders  fell  hissing  around. 
It  looked  like  certain  death.  Still  with 
clenched  teeth,  fixed  eyes  and  rigid  muscles 
the  brave  man  drove  his  boat  into  the  very 
vortex  of  the  fiery  storm.  He  w?s  acting  un- 
der the  two  most  powerful  motives  that  ever 


"  Through  Fire  and  Flood."      127 

stirred  the  heart  of  an  Englishman :  love  of 
danger  and  a  woman's  appeal.  Sheets  of 
flame  lashed  the  air  above  and  around,  but  not 
one  touched  him.  Burning  limbs  splashed 
into  the  water  before  and  behind,  but  he 
passed  unscathed.  It  was  a  marvel  that  he 
lived.  He  took  the  south  side  to  keep  as  far 
as  possible  from  the  fire.  What  was  that  fol- 
lowing that  log?  A  woman's  face  in  a  float- 
ing halo  of  golden  hair.  He  grasped  her 
with  one  hand  while  with  the  other  he  pro- 
pelled the  boat  to  the  shore.  There  he  leaped 
out  and  raised  her  from  the  water. 

"  Helen,"  he  said,  "  have  I  saved  you  ?  Am 
I  too  late  ?  " 

She  was  living  but  exhausted,  and  half 
stifled.  He  bore  her  through  the  bush  till 
they  reached  fresh  air.  Then  he  rested  her 
head  on  his  knee,  brushed  the  wet  hair  from 
her  face  and  fanned  her  with  his  hat.  As 
soon  as  her  voice  returned  she  caught  his  hand 
and,  pointing  to  the  river,  she  said  in  pleading 
tones : 

"  Dr.  Thompson  is  there.  Save  him  !  save 
him  !  " 

"  Let  me  save  you  first,  Helen." 

"  I  am  safe  now.  But  he  is  perishing.  He 
is  clinging  to  the  rocks  on  the  other  side  of 
the  river.     Save  him  !" 

She  wept  and  beseeched  and  there  was  that 
in  her  tones  and  manner  which  convinced  him 


128  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

that  in  saving-  her  hfe  he  had  done  her  no 
kindness  unless  he  also  saved  Dr.  Thompson. 
Let  us  not  misjudge  him  if  he  hesitated.  Re- 
member the  training  of  his  selfish  and  mis- 
spent life.  A  few  minutes'  delay  and  the  only 
rival  for  the  heart  of  the  woman  he  loved 
would  be  out  of  the  way.  He  was  asked  to  do 
at  the  risk  of  his  life  what  would  put  an  end 
to  his  best  hopes.  It  was  one  of  those  fear- 
ful temptations  that  beset  men  at  the  outset  of 
the  new  life.     There  was  no  perceptible  delay. 

"  Helen,"  he  said,  "  I  will  save  him  for  you. 
And  I  owe  him  a  great  deal  myself.  Stay  here, 
and  if  he  still  lives  I  will  bring  him  to  you.  If 
I  never  return  remember  how  I  died  and  let  it 
prove  that  I  loved  you." 

He  kissed  her  reverently  and  rushed  away. 

Forth  went  our  hero  once  again.  It  was 
the  first  real  act  of  voluntary  self-denial  he  had 
ever  performed  and  his  soul  already  exulted  in 
its  victory.  A  dark  space  fringed  with  flame 
indicated  the  rocks  he  was  in  search  of.  He 
shouted  and  received  a  faint  reply.  He  then 
pulled  his  hat  low  to  protect  his  face  from  the 
fierce  heat  and  ventured  across.  He  found 
the  Doctor  clinging  to  the  rock  cramped  and 
exhausted.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that 
he  got  him  into  the  boat  as  he  could  do  so  little 
to  help  himself. 

"  Where  is  Helen  ? "  he  asked  in  hoarse 
tones. 


"Through  Fire  and  Flood."      129 

"  Helen  is  safe.  I  picked  her  up,"  was  the 
cheery  reply. 

He  murmured  an  expression  of  thankfulness 
and  sank  to  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  They  re- 
crossed  the  river  and  found  Helen  at  the  wa- 
ter's edg-e.  She  had  been  watching  all  the 
time.  Now  they  were  safe.  The  river  had 
checked  the  momentum  of  the  fire,  and  al- 
though it  had  crossed  in  several  places  it  did 
but  little  damage  on  the  south  side.  The 
wind  died  away  at  sundown  and  it  began  to 
look  as  though  the  fire  had  reached  its  bounds. 
Our  rescued  friends,  faint  with  exhaustion 
and  trembling  with  the  joy  of  their  escape, 
hurried  through  the  woods  till  they  were  be- 
yond the  smoke,  where  they  sank  down  to  rest 
their  stiffened  limbs  and  relieve  their  tortured 
lungs  with  healing  draughts  of  cool,  fresh  air. 
The  Doctor  eagerly  ascertained  that  Helen  was 
unhurt.  Both  Sir  Edward  and  himself  were 
badly  blistered  but  Helen  was  unscathed;  her 
deliverance  had  been  complete.  For  a  while 
they  did  nothing  but  talk,  excited  by  their  late 
peril  and  wonderful  escape.  They  felt  a  rap- 
ture that  is  only  known  to  those  who  have 
come  back  from  the  g-ates  of  death.  Still  their 
situation  was  far  from  satisfactory.  Helen 
and  the  Doctor  were  in  wet  clothing.  Night 
had  come  and  the  air  was  chilly;  the  change 
from  the  intense  heat  they  were  already  feel- 
ing.    They   were   lost   in   the   woods.     They 

9 


130  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

had  nothing  to  eat.  With  all  the  blaze  behind 
them  they  had  no  means  of  making  a  fire  that 
would  comfort  them. 

"  Let  us  try  to  reach  the  lake  and  signal  the 
yacht,"  suggested  Sir  Edward. 

They  started;  Sir  Edward  supported  Helen 
and  the  Doctor  led  the  way.  They  reached  the 
shore,  but  the  surface  of  the  lake  was  covered 
with  smoke  and  nothing  could  be  seen. 

"  There  are  cabins  on  the  shore ;  we  must  try 
and  reach  one,"  said  the  Doctor. 

Just  then  a  canoe  came  round  a  point  con- 
taining two  men,  one  of  whom  landed  beneath 
them. 

"  That  will  do,"  said  the  man  who  remained 
in  the  canoe,  and  the  voice  sounded  familiar, 
"  I'll  not  twouble  you  to  go  any  farther.  I'll 
not  ask  any  man  to  wisk  his  life  in  my  service. 
But  Sir  Edward  is  my  fwend  and  I  am  bound 
to  hunt  that  blasted  cweek  till  I  bwing  him  out 
alive  or  dead." 

"  Somers,  old  boy,"  said  Sir  Edward,  step- 
ping forward. 

In  an  instant  the  two  men  had  each  other 
by  the  hands. 

"  Why,  you  dear  old  chappie,"  said  Somers. 
"  The  Doctor,  too  and  Miss  Waleigh  !  Why, 
bless  my  soul,  but  this  is  a  wonderful  day." 

The  honest  fellow  exhibited  some  very  un- 
English  emotion. 


"Through  Fire  and  Flood."      131 

"  Were  you  goinig  up  that  creek  to  look  for 
me?  "  asked  Sir  Edward. 

"  Indeed  I  was.  And  I  would  have  gone 
sooner  if  I  could  have  got  off  that  confounded 
yacht.  They  wan  her  agwound  again,  dwat 
'em.     What  took  you  up  there,  anyhow?  " 

"  He  came  to  save  our  lives,"  said  Helen. 
"  He  heard  us  calling  and  came  to  our  help  at 
the  risk  of  his  life." 

"  Oh  !  come,  Helen,  stow  that,"  said  Sir 
Edward,  "  you  are  not  saved  yet  unless  we 
can  find  shelter  very  soon." 

"  There's  a  house  about  a  mile  down  the 
coast,"  said  the  man. 

In  a  few  minutes  they  were  there. 

"  Reckon  you'll  wanter  go  up  at  daylight  to 
see  what's  left,"  said  the  man.  "  Cal'late  the 
hull  o'  Mark  settlement  has  gone  up." 

This  produced  a  scream  from  Helen  and 
then  came  the  question  which  the  Doctor  had 
been  dreading. 

"Oh  !  Doctor,  is  it  as  bad  as  that?  Our 
friends :  have  they  perished  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  thinking  a  great  deal  about 
them.  Helen.  There  is  one  chance;  the  bar- 
ren ridge  may  have  protected  them.  We  can- 
not know  till  morning.  We  must  hope  that 
God  who  has  been  so  good  to  us  has  not  failed 
them." 

The  shock  prostrated  Helen  more  than  her 
hardships  liad  done. 


132  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

The  house  was  one  which  ilhistrated  the 
miseries  of  bush  hfe.  It  consisted  of  one 
room  stifling  with  heat  and  foul  air.  There 
was  a  bed  in  one  corner  but  no  provision  for 
privacy.  The  men  withdrew  to  the  outside, 
the  Doctor  ordering  out  a  great  hibberly  lout 
from  behind  the  stove  who  seemed  reluctant 
to  leave  the  house.  When  they  re-entered 
Helen  was  dressed  in  some  clothes  of  the  set- 
tler's wife,  and  was  lying  on  the  bed.  There 
she  sank  into  a  troubled  slumber,  occasionally 
starting  with  a  cry  as  though  in  her  dreams 
renewing  the  horrors  of  the  day. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


"  all's  well  that  ends  well." 


As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see,  our 
friends  were  stirring,  full  of  anxiety  for  the 
dear  ones  whose  fate  they  had  not  yet  learned. 
A  party  was  made  up  to  penetrate  the  still 
smoldering  forest  and  Helen  refused  to  be  left 
behind.  With  a  couple  of  boats  they  rowed 
silently  under  the  canopy  of  smoke  that  still 
overhung  the  river.  The  heat,  the  smoke,  the 
suffocating  smell  and  the  clouds  of  ashes 
whirled  about  by  every  puff  of  hot  wind  made 
it  doubtful  if  they  could  accom])lish  their  pur- 
pose. The  road  from  the  settlement  to  the 
river  ran  through  a  more  sparsely  wooded 
strip  and  here  they  managed  to  make  some 
stifling  progress. 

It  had  appeared  that  the  Doctor's  surmise 
was  correct.  The  ridge,  presenting  half  a  mile 
of  barren  surface,  had  saved  the  settlement  by 
hemming  the  fire  into  a  narrow  strip  by  the 
river.  The  track  of  the  fire  was  from  the 
northeast,  and,  as  th^  settlement  of  Mark 
stretched  away  to  the  norwest  from  the 
ridge,  it  had  escaped.     In  fact  on  the  evening 

^33 


134  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

before  when  Flelen  and  the  Doctor  had  first 
heard  the  fire  and  turned  back  they  were  within 
a  few  yards  of  safety.  The  Raleigh  homestead 
being  nearest  the  ridge  had  been  placed  in 
greatest  peril  by  the  shower  of  sparks  and 
firebrands.  Only  by  the  greatest  watchful- 
ness had  they  kept  their  little  estate  from  ex- 
tinction. Peter  and  Grace  had  reached  home 
just  as  the  fire  was  upon  them.  All  night,  as- 
sisted by  many  of  their  neighbors,  they  had 
been  fighting  fire,  and  daylight  had  come  be- 
fore they  felt  secure.  Then,  full  of  anxiety 
for  Helen  and  the  Doctor,  they  were  making 
their  way  along  the  bush  road  when  the  two 
parties  met  and  Helen  was  in  her  mother's 
arms.  It  was  a  joyful  meeting.  They  could 
see  that  she  had  been  through  fire  and  flood. 

"  Which  of  these  brave  men  saved  you, 
darling?"  was  the  grateful  mother's  inquiry. 

The  Baronet  and  the  Doctor  each  attempted 
to  push  the  other  forward  as  the  hero  of  the 
hour. 

"  They  are  a  wegular  pair  of  bwicks,  Mrs. 
Waleigh,"  said  Somers. 

"  And  Mr.  Somers  is  another,"  said  Helen, 
"  for  he  too  was  coming  to  our  rescue." 

"  Only  he  failed  to  catch  the  pwocession," 
added  that  worthy. 

Coming  to  the  settlement  it  was  a  delight 
to  see  the  house  and  barn  still  standing  and  to 
be  welcomed  by  the  tearful  joy  of  Grace  and 


"All's  Well  That  Ends  Well."     135 

the  shouts  of  the  Httle  ones.  Burnt  patches  in 
the  stubble  and  charred  fence  rails  showed 
how  fierce  had  been  the  struggle.  But  the 
danger  was  over  now.  Settlements  to  the 
northeast  had  been  wiped  out,  but  Mark  was 
spared.  Peter's  fertile  brain  w^as  full  of  re- 
sources. 

"  Doctor,"  said  he,  "  we  w'on't  have  to  do 
any  underbrushing  along  that  bottom  after 
this." 

The  Doctor  admitted  the  truth  of  that  ob- 
servation.    And  Peter  continued : 

"  If  w'e  clear  up  that  mess  this  Fall  it  will 
give  us  each  a  good  riverside  pasture." 

Peter  was  the  kind  of  man  to  succeed  in  a 
new  country,  as  he  would  turn  even  his  mis- 
fortunes to  a  good  account. 

The  day  was  spent  in  resting  and  conversa- 
tion, and  there  were  many  animated  recitals 
of  the  recent  events.  In  the  afternoon  Black 
Ca?sar  appeared  stating  that  the  yacht  was 
afloat  again  and  moored  at  the  mouth  of  the 
creek  awaiting  Sir  Edward's  orders.  Somers 
and  Cfpsar  were  sent  to  the  point  to  inform  the 
party  that  Sir  Edward  would  not  join  them 
again,  and  also  with  instructions  for  Good- 
win respecting  the  return  of  the  yacht  to  its 
owners  in  Montreal.  This  information  was 
not  acceptable  to  the  rowdy  crew.  Sir  Ed- 
ward was  the  goose  who  laid  the  golden  ec^-g 
and  his  flight  gave  great  displeasure.     Loud 


136  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

were  their  murmurs.  One  swa^ggering  blade 
said  in  the  presence  of  Somers  that  Sir  Edward 
was  an  ass  to  go  tagging  about  the  woods  after 
a  red-headed  girl  who  had  already  more  lovers 
than  were  good. 

Exactly  at  this  juncture  the  fellow  reeled 
backward  from  the  impact  of  a  sounding  right- 
hander and  spent  the  subsequent  hours  nurs- 
ing a  bleeding  nose.  The  only  explanation 
Somers  ever  offered  for  the  assault  was 
couched  in  the  formula — 

"  Indiscweet  wemarks." 

The  neighborhood  was  still  smoky  and  a 
good  wind  was  blowing,  so  they  decided  to  go 
down  the  lake  to  a  more  secure  anchorage. 
Somers  and  Caesar  lay  ofif  in  the  skiff  watch- 
ing them  getting  up  sail. 

''  Good-by  "  was  shouted  from  the  deck  as 
the  "  Owl  "  moved  off. 

"  Good-by,"  replied  Somers,  But  he  added 
in  an  undertone: 

"  And  a  damned  good  widdance." 

Which,  barring  the  profanity,  so  say  we  all. 

Sir  Edward  and  Somers  were  entertained 
several  days  by  Dr.  Thompson.  The  baronet 
wished  to  be  strengthened  in  his  new  life  by 
the  counsel  and  influence  of  his  good  friend. 
But  there  was  another  reason  for  his  staying. 
He  wished  to  bring  about  an  understanding 
between  Helen  and  Dr.  Thompson.  He  had 
learned,  unmistakably,  on  the  night  of  the  fire 


"All's  Well  That  Ends  Well."     137 

that  her  heart  had  been  given  to  Dr.  Thompson, 
and  he  knew  that  the  Doctor  supposed  the  bar- 
onet to  be  the  object  of  her  choice.  He  knew 
well  that  either  would  be  too  proud  to  take  any 
step  to  undeceive  the  other.  Since  their  ad- 
venture the  Doctor  had  not  seen  Helen  and 
seemed  to  avoid  1  leeting  her.  At  the  close  of 
each  day  Sir  Edward,  bearing  the  spoils  of  the 
chase,  had  made  his  way  to  the  Raleigh  home. 
Each  evening  was  spent  Avith  Helen,  while 
daylight  lasted,  in  woodland  rambles  and  after 
dark  in  the  family  circle.  How  to  effect  his 
purpose  did  not  appear.  He  had  faltered  in 
every  attempt  to  approach  the  subject.  One 
day  he  suggested  that  they  go  and  see  the 
Raleighs  and  the  Doctor  declined. 

"  You  haven't  been  there  since  the  fire," 
said  Sir  Edward,  "  and  I  believe  Helen  would 
be  especially  glad  to  see  you." 

The  Doctor's  eyes  moved  uneasily  and  a 
pained  look  came  into  his  face. 

Sir  Edward  was  watching  him  closely  and 
continued : 

"  If  you  were  not  looking  after  every  one's 
interest  but  your  own  you  would  have  learned 
what  you  ought  to  know." 

Still  no  reply. 

"  My  dear  friend,"  said  Sir  Edward,  laying 
his  hand  gently  on  the  Doctor's,  "  do  you  im- 
agine that  Miss  Raleigh  is  in  love  with  me  ?" 

No  reply  but  a  startkrl  look. 


138  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

"  Because  if  you  do  let  me  tell  you  that  you 
are  most  ridiculously  mistaken.  She  does  not 
love  me;  she  never  did  and  never  will.  She 
would  never  love  any  man  so  unworthy  of 
her,  I  could  never  win  more  than  her  friend- 
ship, and  for  such  a  man  as  I  am  it  is  a  great 
deal  to  do  that." 

The  Doctor's  face  was  a  study. 

"  I  know  her  well.  I  am  her  intimate 
friend.  I  have  the  best  reasons  for  knowing. 
Dr.  Thompson,  that  her  heart  is  yours  for  the 
asking." 

The  Doctor  got  up  and  after  a  few  uneasy 
turns  about  the  room  walked  out  of  the  house 
and  shut  the  door. 

"  Foiled  again,"  said  the  disgusted  baronet. 
There  seemed  nothing  to  do  but  to  get  them 
together  and  compel  them  to  speak. 

An  hour  later,  about  sunset.  Dr.  Thompson 
was  startled  to  see  coming  along  the  forest 
path  Helen  and  Sir  Edward,  and  he  immedi- 
ately divined  the  purpose  of  this  visit.  Helen 
wore  the  simple  white  dress  he  had  seen  so 
often  that  summer  and  displayed  just  a  little 
of  that  coquettish  spirit  which  the  presence  of 
Sir  Edward  always  called  forth.  It  is  possible 
that  she  too  divined  whither  fate  was  leading 
her  and  her  apparent  gaiety  may  have  been 
intended  to  cover  a  deeper  feeling.  The  sun 
on  the  horizon  searched  out  an  avenue  through 
the  tangled  forest  along  which  he  reached  om 


'•All's  Well  That  Ends  Well."     139 

of  his  last  rays  and  laid  it  upon  her  golden  head 
with  a  long,  lingering  caress  as  though  he 
loved  it. 

So  they  came  to  the  house. 

"  Well,  Dr.  Thompson,  are  you  never  com- 
ing to  see  us  again?  Are  you  afraid  we  will 
thank  you?  Sir  Edward  has  persuaded  me 
that  I  owe  you  a  call,  so  here  I  am." 

They  were  shown  into  the  best  room  which 
served  as  study,  parlor  and  office. 

"  This  is  the  Doctor's  office,  I  suppose,"  she 
said,  seating  herself  in  the  swivel  chair;  "a 
pleasant  place  if  I  should  ever  have  a  malady 
and  need  a  consultation." 

"  We  should  consult  the  Doctor  to  preserve 
our  health  as  well  as  to  recover  it,"  said  Sir 
Edward. 

"  Very  well,"  she  said,  playfully,  swinging 
round  in  the  chair  to  face  the  Doctor.  ''  Here, 
Dr.  Thompson,  you  may  feel  my  pulse,  but  I 
hope  you  will  not  ask  to  see  my  tongue." 

By  turning  round  she  had  placed  her  back 
to  Sir  Edward,  who  then  arose  and,  with  i 
meaning  glance  toward  the  Doctor,  stealthily 
left  the  room  leaving  her  unaware  that  he  had 
done  so.  Dr.  Thompson  came  to  her  side  and 
laid  his  hnnd  upon  the  wrist  which  she  held 
out  to  him.  There  followed  a  stillness  and 
silence  so  long  and  deep  that  they  might  have 
heard  each  other's  heart  beat.  Perhaps  they 
did.     She  soon  noticed  that  the  iiand  on  her 


140  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

wrist  was  trembling,  and  then  the  wrist  began 
to  tremble. 

"  Helen,"  he  said,  and  all  his  soul  was  in 
his  voice. 

She  said  nothing  but  glanced  quickly  around. 
They  were  alone.  She  rose  to  her  feet.  The 
hold  upon  her  wrist  became  a  clasp  of  her 
hand  and  the  hand  was  not  withdrawn. 

"  Dr.  Thompson,  is  this  a  conspiracy?  "  she 
asked,  in  a  tone  of  composure. 

But  he  read  other  language  in  the  eyes  that 
were  fast  becoming  humid.  That  exchange  of 
glances  and  that  trembling  hand  clasp  were  all 
their  plighted  troth. 

When  they  came  out  a  few  minutes  later 
they  found  the  baronet  meditatively  contem- 
plating infinite  space.  He  faced  about  as  they 
approached.  They  both  looked  at  him;  he 
glanced  from  face  to  face;  the  three  under- 
stood and  Sir  Edward's  heart  felt  a  great 
loneliness. 

They  exchanged  a  few  most  commonplace 
and  irrelevant  remarks  and  then  separated. 
Sir  Edward  watched  them  as  they  went. 
When  they  reached  the  top  of  the  little  slope 
where  the  path  entered  the  forest  the  sun  found 
another  long  hole  through  the  sea  of  foliage 
and.  stretching  his  upper  rim  above  the  hori- 
zon, he  sent  his  positively  last  beam  along  it 
and  baptized  them  both  with  lEroMen  light.  So 
they  two  went  side  by  side  along  the  shining 


"All's  Well  That  Ends  Well."     141 

way.  Then  the  shadows  fell  and  the  darkness 
gathered  fast.  But  the  darkest  spot  in  all  that 
darkening  landscape  was  the  fence  corner 
where  stood  a  baronet  of  England  \vith  his 
face  bowed  upon  his  arms. 


SUPPLEMENT. 

Our  story  properly  closes  with  the  last 
chapter.  But  there  remain  to  be  related  a  few 
tributary  incidents  which  could  not  be  intro- 
duced without  marring  the  symmetry  of  the 
story. 

During  Sir  Edward's  rambles  about  the 
woods  in  the  early  days  of  his  arrival  his  at- 
tention was  caught  by  two  gigantic  pines  which 
rose  high  above  the  forest.  All  around  them 
were  huge  stumps  showing  that  the  big  trees 
had  been  removed  by  the  lumbermen,  leaving 
a  still  dense  bush  of  second  rate  timber.  Those 
two  trees  must  be  veterans  of  the  "  forest 
primeval."  They  would  be  worth  a  nearer 
view.  He  made  his  way  toward  them  and 
came  into  an  open  space  studded  only  with 
sumach  and  juniper.  Before  him  in  the  center 
of  this  area  rose  the  trees  in  stately  grandeur. 
Like  twin  trees  they  bore  a  certain  resemblance 
to  each  other,  an  unconscious  imitation  that 
is  sometimes  observed  in  trees  growing  near 
together.  Pushing  through  the  scrub  he  found 
that  around  their  trunks  for  a  considerable 
distance  the  earth  was  covered  only  with  a 

142 


Supplement.  143 

thick  matting  of  fallen  needles.  Approaching 
nearer,  he  was  startled  to  find,  midway  be- 
tween the  trees,  what  he  at  once  took  to  be  a 
grave.  It  was  a  huge  oval-shaped  cairn  of 
stones.  At  one  end  two  large  flat  stones  had 
been  so  placed  as  to  form  the  rough  outlines 
of  a  cross.  He  came  to  the  grave  and  walked 
around  it.  He  searched  the  stones  and  trees 
for  any  inscription  and  found  none.  It  im- 
pressed him  deeply,  this  lonely  grave  in  this 
romantic  spot  between  these  sentinel  pines. 
No  roving  trapper,  he  argued,  would  have 
been  buried  with  so  much  care  and  trouble. 
This  pile  and  cross  were  the  labor  of  many 
hands.  And  these  trees  would  not  have  been 
spared  by  the  lumbermen  without  some  induce- 
ment. He  sat  down  and  speculated  on  the 
unknown  dead.  Those  were  his  gloomy  days, 
and  when  he  had  withdrawn  from  the  spot  he 
half  wished  in  his  disgust  with  the  world  and 
humanity  that  he  might  find  some  such  resting 
place  for  himself.  He  came  again  and  again. 
The  place  had  an  interest  for  him  almost 
amounting  to  fascination.  Soon  he  began  to 
notice  that  even  without  intention  his  feet 
would  move  in  that  direction,  and  he  was  often 
startled  to  find  himself  unexpectedly  in  the 
presence  of  that  monitory  cross.  He  often 
thought  of  speaking  to  Dr.  Thompson  about 
it.  But  mystery  is  so  fascinating  that  he 
thought  that  the  grave  would  lose  half  its  in- 


144  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

terest  if  he  knew  its  history.  Besides,  he  felt 
a  dread  which  he  could  not  understand  when- 
ever he  attempted  to  broach  the  subject.  He 
visited  the  grave  so  often  that  he  felt  a  sort 
of  proprietary  interest  in  it.  Often,  on  ap- 
proaching the  spot  he  would  pick  up  as  large 
a  stone  as  he  could  carry  and  add  it  to  the  cairn. 
He  had  made  up  in  his  own  mind  the  story  of 
some  proud,  broken-hearted  man  who  had  fled 
from  the  world  to  hide  his  misery  and  whose 
last  request  of  his  fellow-men  was  that  thev 
would  bury  him  in  the  wilderness  in  a  name- 
less grave.     Perhaps  he  was  right. 

During  the  days  following  the  fire  Sir  Ed- 
ward and  Helen  were  frequently  in  the  woods 
with  shotguns  looking-  for  partridges.  Sev- 
eral times  he  noticed  that  they  were  drawing 
near  to  the  pines  and  he  at  once  changed  their 
direction.  On  one  occasion  they  were  so  near 
that  Helen  insisted  on  a  closer  view.  She  led 
the  way  through  the  fringe  of  sumach  and 
juniper,  making  comments  on  the  size  and 
beauty  of  the  trees.  As  her  eyes  wandered 
to  the  open  space  between  them  she  started 
and  gave  a  little  cry  of  surprise.  For  some 
seconds  they  stood  in  silence  beside  the  grave,^ 
And  then : 

"  Who  is  buried  here,  Sir  Edward?  " 

"  I  do  not  know." 

"  Did  you  ever  see  this  grave  before  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  been  here  many  times." 


Supplement.  145 

"  And  yet  you  never  mentioned  it  ?  " 

"  I  supposed  that  you  knew  more  about  it 
than  I  did." 

"  Did  you  ever  ask  the  Doctor  about  it?  " 

"  No." 

Silence  again.  Helen  glanced  at  the  grave, 
the  cross,  the  trees,  the  surrounding  bush ;  the 
untamed  wilderness  had  never  looked  so  wild 
and  savage.  Feeling  all  the  weird  influence  of 
the  place  and  scene  she  shivered  and  drew 
closer  to  lier  companion.  The  day  was  wind- 
less. But  just  at  that  moment  came  a  slight 
breath  which  hissed  through  the  pines  with  a 
sound  that  was  like  the  rustling  garments  of 
a  wandering  spirit.  Helen  shivered  and 
clasped  Sir  Edward's  arm. 

"  I  have  been  here  many  times,"  he  said, 
"  and  once  I  made  a  sketch  of  the  scene.  See 
here." 

He  drew  out  a  sketch-book.  Looking  closely 
she  observed  that  the  cross  in  the  picture  bore 
the  name  of  "  Willoughby." 

She  shuddered  and  asked : 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?  " 

"  I  thought  it  a  fitting  resting-place  for  a 
hopeless  and  heartless  man." 

"  But  you  are  not  heartless  and  hopeless." 

"  No,  I  am  not,  but  I  was  then,  and  I  was 
tempted  to  bring  tools  and  cut  on  that  cross 
the  name  of  '  Willoughbv,'  and  then — 

"And  then?" 
10 


146  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

"  And  then  I  would  have  disappeared  and 
left  no  trace." 

Again  that  sough  through  the  trees  above 
them  as  though  the  spirit,  having  completed  a 
circuit,  passed  once  more  above  the  disturbers 
of  its  watch  as  the  eagle  gyrates  around  the 
invaders  of  its  eyrie. 

"  Let  us  go,"  said  Helen,  pale  with  fear, 
"  this  is  a  dreadful  place." 

They  hurried  home.  But  ever  after,  sleep- 
ing or  waking,  in  thought  or  dream,  Helen 
never  saw  that  grave  but  the  arm  of  the  cross 
bore  the  name  "  Willoughby."  Why  is  it  that 
a  nameless  grave  in  which  they  could  neither 
of  them  have  any  interest  should  have  such  a 
powerful  influence  upon  them  both  ? 

The  day  after  the  event  recorded  in  the  last 
chapter  Dr.  Thompson  visited  the  Raleighs 
and  his  engagement  to  Helen  was  formally 
announced.  It  gave  great  satisfaction;  Sir 
Edward's  magnanimous  action  was  also 
highly  commended.  In  the  course  of  the  con- 
versation Dr.  Thompson  made  the  following 
remarkable  statement : 

"  Helen,  you  have  heard  me  speak  of  the 
property  which  was  presented  to  me  by  the 
man  who  built  this  house.  I  have  never  men- 
tioned yet  that  among  other  things  there  was 
a  trunk  in  which  he  appeared  to  be  particularly 
interested.  When  giving  me  a  list  of  the 
things  I  was  to  take  he  mentioned  this  trunk 


Supplement.  147 

in  a  most  significant  manner.  Said  he:  'If 
you  ever  find  a  woman  with  whom  you  can 
trust  your  heart's  devotion  give  her  that  trunk 
and  its  contents  just  as  they  are.  And  may 
you  be  happier  in  such  relationship  than  I  have 
been.'  This  was  the  only  clue  I  ever  obtained 
to  the  mystery  of  his  life.  This  trunk  I  have 
never  opened  and  I  do  not  know  what  it  con- 
tains. I  propose,  Helen,  that  you  and  Grace 
come  over  with  me  this  evening  and  I  will 
acquit  myself  of  this  trust.  And  perhaps  you 
will  indulge  our  curiosity  by  opening  it  in  our 
presence." 

Doctor  Thompson  and  Sir  Edward  took  tea 
with  the  Raleighs  in  honor  of  the  occasion, 
and  at  that  hour  designated  in  backwoods 
phrase  as  "  early  candle  light,"  they  started 
for  home,  escorting  the  two  ladies,  who  were 
burning  with  curiosity  concerning  that  mys- 
terious trunk. 

The  trunk  stood  beside  the  Doctor's  desk. 
It  was  a  large  leather-covered  trunk  such  as 
are  carried  about  the  continent  by  wealthy 
English  travelers. 

"  Let  us  have  plenty  of  light,"  said  the 
Doctor  as  he  turned  up  the  second  lamp. 

The  trunk  was  drawn  into  the  center  of  the 
room  and  Helen  with  a  bunch  of  keys  kneeled 
before  it.  She  faltered  and  her  hands  trembled 
as  she  fitted  key  after  key.  It  was  so  dreadful 
thus  to  pry  into  the  secret  of  a  broken  heart. 


148  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

It  seemed  like  opening  a  tomb.  Why  did  she 
think  so  continuously  of  that  grave  under  the 
pines?  What  was  this  revelation  that  was 
coming?  What  connection  had  it  with  her 
own  life?  Her  heart  beat  violently  and  her 
head  swam.  At  last  a  key  fitted,  the  lock 
clicked,  the  lid  started.  Helen  gave  a  little 
scream  and  shrank  back. 

"  Oh !  Grace,  I  can't  do  it." 

She  seated  herself  in  the  swivel  chair  by  the 
desk  and  Grace  took  her  place.  The  lid  was 
lifted.  On  the  top  lay  a  light  parcel.  Remov- 
ing the  wrapper,  Grace  shook  the  folds  of  a 
beautiful  dress  of  pale  gray  silk.  Its  folds 
shimmered  and  glistened  in  the  lamplight  as 
she  held  it  at  arms'  length. 

"  Helen,"  she  exclaimed,  "  here  is  your  wed- 
ding dress  ready  made,  if  it  will  only  fit  you." 

Dr.  Thompson  was  looking  on  with  an 
amused  smile,  wondering  of  what  use  such 
shining  raiment  would  be  in  the  bush.  After 
spreading  the  skirt  around  her  form  and, 
womanlike,  turning  her  head  this  way  and 
that  to  observe  the  effect,  the  glittering  gar- 
ment was  laid  on  a  chair  and  Grace  again  ex- 
plored the  trunk.  Sir  Edward's  glance  had 
become  one  of  puzzled  surprise.  Helen  had 
become  as  pale  as  death,  but  her  face  was  ex- 
pressionless. Several  robes  and  mantles  of 
great  richness  and  elegance  were  produced. 
Grace  chattered  like  a  delighted  child  as  she 


Supplement.  149 

spread  out  the  glossy  draperies.  But  the 
others  observed  in  silence  each  with  the  vague 
impression  that  a  revelation  was  at  hand.  To 
Helen  with  her  quick  intuition  the  revelation 
had  already  come.  Her  face  was  bowed  and 
she  was  silently  weeping.  But  the  attention 
of  the  others  was  so  fixed  upon  the  trunk  that 
they  did  not  notice  her  agitation.  There  were 
a  number  of  costly  toilette  articles  and  all  such 
things  as  might  be  found  in  the  boudoir  of  a 
lady  of  fashion.  Then  came  a  casket  of 
mother-of-pearl  inlaid  with  gold.  It  was  a 
jewel  case  and  its  costly  contents  glittered  as 
the  lid  was  raised.  Suddenlv  the  room  ransf 
with  a  cry,  ahtjost  a  shriek,  from  Sir  Edward : 

"  God  in  Heaven !     What  is  that  ?  " 

He  snatched  from  Grace  a  pearl  necklace 
which  fastened  with  a  jeweled  pendent.  His 
eyes  were  wildly  distended  as  he  held  it 
to  the  lamp  and  examined  its  antique  chasing. 
The  lines  of  a  monogram  could  be  seen  con- 
cealed among  the  tracery. 

"  I  knew  it."  he  moaned,  "  I  knew  it  from 
the  first.  Helen !  Helen !  it  is  Alice,  our  OAvn 
little  Alice." 

He  sank  into  a  chair  like  one  stricken  with 
death.  Dr.  Thompson  went  to  his  assistance; 
when  he  sprang  from  the  chair  as  though  fired 
with  a  new  and  terrible  thought.  His  face 
bore  a  look  of  horror  as  he  grasped  the  Doc- 
tor's arm.     But  he  could  scarcely  articulate : 


1 50  The  Lady  of  Mark. 

"  The  pines !  the  pines !  That  grave — that 
horrible  grave  that  has  haunted  me.  Dr. 
Thompson,  who — who  is  buried  there?" 

"  My  poor  friend,  calm  yourself,"  said  the 
Doctor  soothingly. 

"  But  you  don't  answer  my  question.  Who 
lies  in  that  grave  ?  " 

"  I  never  knew  his  name.  He  was  called 
Captain  Pasmore.  But  I  believe  now  that  it 
was  Sir  Harold  Willoughby." 

Sir  Edward  was  like  one  on  the  verge  of 
insanity,  his  anguish  was  terrible  to  witness. 
He  had  never  heard  the  mystery  of  the  Raleigh 
house  and  its  unknown  occupant.  All  this 
dreadful  discovery  had  com^e  upon  him  with- 
out any  preparation.  He  had  thought  of  his 
brother  as  wasting  his  substance  in  riotous 
living  in  the  fashionable  and  gambling  circles 
of  some  great  city.  But  to  find  him  instead 
a  broken-hearted  recluse  hiding  himself  from 
the  world,  it  seemed  to  set  forth  his  own  con- 
duct in  a  more  heinous  light.  His  remorse 
threatened  his  reason  and  they  could  not  calm 
him.  Looking  at  the  trunk,  that  accusing 
witness,  he  wailed : 

"  Then  he  really  loved  her  and  he  treasured 
even  these  poor  relics.  Fool  that  I  was,  I  sup- 
posed that  he  only  married  her  in  spite  against 
me.  How  blind  and  dull  I  have  been  in  my 
suspicion  and  selfishness." 

His  agitation  brought  on  a  relapse  of  his 


Supplement.  151 

sickness  and  they  watched  him  for  many  days 
with  great  anxiety.  He  recovered  only  in 
time  to  leave  the  place  by  the  last  boat  of  the 
season.  The  day  before  his  departure  he  went, 
accompanied  by  Dr.  Thompson,  Helen  and 
Somers,  to  take  a  last  look  at  the  grave  under 
the  pines.  There  over  his  brother's  grave  the 
repentant  man  vowed  that  he  would  return  to 
England  and  take  up  the  duties  of  his  high 
estate. 

Now  that  the  country  is  cleared  and  settled 
those  two  pines  still  stand  guarding  that  grave 
in  the  midst  of  a  field  of  wheat.  The  grave 
is  still  unmarked.  Those  who  know  its  history 
have  kept  the  secret.  Visitors  to  the  neighbor- 
hood are  taken  to  see  the  grave  and  speculate 
upon  its  mystery.  Many  romantic  stories 
hover  about  it.  But  no  one  knows  any  more 
than  the  chattering  squirrel  that  scatters  his 
nut-shells  on  the  stones  or  the  melancholy 
bird  who  perches  upon  the  cross  and  sings  an 
evening  requiem  for  the  sad  life  that  ended 
there. 


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